Six express bus lines in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island that make extra daily trips to and from Manhattan may continue their schedules after Governor Kathy Hochul halted congestion pricing, according to an MTA document.

Bus Routes.Photo bybruce marsonUnsplash

The memo from Chief of Operations Planning Christopher Pangilinan suggested removing the MTA's April announcement of enhanced weekday service from the timetable indefinitely due to uncertainty about how to fund the service without the proceeds from the tolling program. The potentially affected routes cater to riders in southern Staten Island, eastern Queens, and Brooklyn.

Reverting to the spring schedule starting in September is what the document suggests.

Some Extra Investments

At its debut earlier this year, MTA Chair Janno Lieber called the new routes what outer borough commuters demand.

According to the memo, the lines' return to springtime timetables "would be an annual decrease in operating costs of approximately $883,000, comprised of $629,000 per year from NYCT bus routes."

The study stated that the lines would require operational funding if the MTA decided to preserve them, which raised doubts about their viability in light of the MTA's precarious financial status.

Documents Speak For Itself

MTA spokesperson Tim Minton stated that the document "speaks for itself" in response to a question.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Transport Workers Union Local 100 accused the MTA of covertly cutting service in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan in a complaint filed earlier this month.