Wired: Big Boston Cuts Underscore National Transit Crisis

From Wired:

All year we've been hearing how funding for mass transit is getting squeezed hard as states attempt to balance their budgets. Drastic cuts proposed last week in Boston illustrate just how dire things have become.

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, known as the T, announced that without a big cash infusion, it will make severe cuts to its network while also raising fares. Similar scenarios are being played out across the country, where cities and states are trying desperately to close giant budget gaps while maintaining essential services like police and fire. Transit systems are taking a hit despite the fact that in 2008 systems in the US carried 10.7 billion passengers, their busiest year since 1956.