It's much like the other shoe, finally dropping.
Calling these the worst four months in the last 20 years, Regional Transit Authority general manager Joe Calabrese says previous job cuts and salary freezes this year are just not enough to balance a severely reduced budget; and the only option is to slash more jobs - and reduce how many buses travel in Cuyahoga County.
RTA says the planned 12 percent service reduction is necessary because of a nearly $20 million drop in county sales tax revenue, coupled with a 33% cut in state funding. Reduced service could be avoided - Calabrese says - if he can re-negotiate contracts with the bus operators.
JOE CALABRESE: "Labor is 70% of our costs. The bus drivers agreeing to salary concessions is key to the amount of service needing to be cut."
But the odds do not appear to be good for an agreement. RTA has met with Transit Union Local 268 20 times - but Calabrese says they are not close to a deal on concessions.
So RTA will reduce or eliminate the number and the frequency of busses. Which routes are impacted will be determined by studying ridership, and county geography.
And even with that - Calabrese says the transit company is fortunate.
CALABRESE: "We've been pretty successful in getting some special grants and some one time funding to try to hold things together the best way we can, or things would be worse."
Service cuts, and up to 185 driver and mechanic job cuts, would take effect April 1.
