This hearing must be postponed for a number of reasons. It should not be held during the summer when many are on vacation. 

The MTA has ignored the nearly 3,300 passengers who have signed this petition against the elimination of over 1,400 bus stops (a third of the stops in the whole borough). In cases where bus stops were returned, other stops were taken away. Bus stop spacing will increase from an average of 818 feet apart to an average of 1,151 feet apart, increasing walk distances for some to ¾ mile to the closest bus route. The MTA’s 2010 guidelines call for a bus stop every 750 feet, which is already exceeded in Queens. Instead, the MTA has chosen to follow European standards instead of the domestic standard or the MTA’s 2010 guidelines. This is being done only to save operating costs, not to help bus passengers. It will also disproportionately harm seniors and people with disabilities who are unable to or have difficulty walking farther to catch the bus. 

The complete list of reasons can be found here:

https://www.passengersunited.org/ridersreview

It is essential that everyone contact their elected officials, to insist they go on record asking for a postponement until 2025. Holding this hearing now will legally allow the MTA to make whatever service cuts and changes it desires. Don’t forget every Queens councilman signed a letter requesting the MTA go back to the drawing board after Version 1. They now must insist that the MTA cannot be allowed to ignore the thousands of comments, complaints, and suggestions made on the Proposed Final Version. Those must be incorporated before a public hearing is held.

Please join PassengersUnited.org who have made it easy for you to find out who your elected officials are and how to contact them. Here is the link:

https://www.passengersunited.org/qbnr.html

Thank you.