A slew of secret bus-service cuts — a product of the ongoing war between the MTA and its biggest union — are leaving riders stranded at stops across the city, The Post has learned.
Since April 2010, MTA management has refused to fill dozens of slots each day for bus operators who have called in sick or were on vacation time — which means the bus stays in the depot instead of heading out on its run.
As a result, some straphangers could wait for up to 30 minutes longer than advertised.
And when the bus finally arrives, riders are crammed in like sardines.
“There’s an all-out war on the union. They’re going head to head. So I think management is doing everything they can to break them while trying to save money as well,” said one source familiar with the practice.
MTA brass said in a statement that they’d saved $3 million since April 2010 by not paying out the overtime.
“It’s helped alleviate the need for additional staff and service reductions,” New York City Transit said in a statement.
But union officials say the sneaky, unannounced cuts hurt riders.
“It’s a problem systemwide,” said Local 100 spokesman Jim Gannon.
The massive Michael Quill Depot on the West Side — which houses such high-profile lines as the M14, M79, M11 and 17 others — was the hardest hit in Manhattan, according to a review of NYCT’s 24-hour operation reports between May 19 and 25.
Brooklyn is the borough losing the most service, with 216 buses not making a run in the same time frame. Next is Manhattan, with 135 missed runs, and The Bronx, with 125.
About 6,300 buses roll out every day, according to TWU Local 100. The MTA said it tries to spread the canceled runs out evenly.
“We monitor the situation daily and make every possible attempt to limit the disruption to our customers, which is minimal given that these vacant runs are spread evenly across the bus network,” said NYCT spokeswoman Deirdre Parker.
Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick