Michael Manville, professor and chair of Luskin urban planning, commented in a Bloomberg CityLab Perspective on service cuts that could be coming to regional transit systems nationwide. While focused on Pittsburgh’s transit system, which is considering reductions in service, systems across the U.S. are weighing service cuts due to growing deficits caused by increased costs, passenger counts below pre-pandemic levels, and the exhaustion of pandemic-era aid. For Pittsburgh, this would mean cutting bus routes, creating longer wait times for other routes, limiting running times as well as disconnecting a number of suburban townships from the network. Experts caution that severe service reductions could have effects that will last for years to come such as forcing low-income riders to purchase cars, straining budgets and contributing to regional congestion and pollution. “Once you buy the car, you’re not coming back to the train or bus, even if service is restored,” Manville said.