The change to Access service hours is in response to a 2009 audit of all of Metro’s services. It’s one in a series of changes Metro is making to increase efficiency and reduce costs. It is not directly related to the 17-percent, county-wide reduction in regular bus service that will be necessary if a sustainable funding solution is not found to address Metro’s projected budget shortfall.
However, the 17-percent reduction will also affect Access service if it includes deleting routes or shortening service hours in an area, since Access service is tied to regular bus service.