JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has eliminated four bus routes and modified seven others as the agency works to cover a $39 million budget shortfall.
Wait times on some remaining transit routes are expected to increase by up to 30 minutes.
The service cuts are part of broader cost-saving measures implemented by the transit agency. Alongside the route eliminations and adjustments, staff reductions were made to address the multimillion-dollar budget gap.
The four eliminated transit routes are routes 18, 25, 32, and 82. The seven routes taking new paths include routes 10, 23, 24, 28, 31, 34 and 105, which is the Orange Line. Route 34 is a new route created by splitting off from Route 23.
Bus passengers are facing altered schedules and longer wait times across the system. Mary, a business rider, had to adjust her daily commute when her previous line was discontinued. “Used to be the 32, but now it’s the 34. When did it become the 34? Today,” Mary said.
She added that her typical wait time is “45 minutes to an hour.” Updated weekday and weekend schedules with time changes are listed for dozens of routes.
The authority also reduced its workforce as part of the effort to balance its finances. A total of 57 employees were laid off, consisting of 33 mechanics, 19 bus operators, four control center operators, and one engineer.
The ongoing reductions have also prompted reactions from users of other Jacksonville Transportation Authority services, such as the Skyway.
Skyway riders noted they made trips specifically due to concerns over future service changes. “We were coming in to try before it shut down permanently,” a Skyway rider said.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.