"When are the Operators going to get a furlough day?"

Hearing that question from one of Regional Transit's Admisistrative staffers who happens to be a close friend of mine, I had to pause and chuckle.

The powers that  be at Regional Transit have taken on the arduous task of bridging a 9 Billion dollar budget defecit, and that ain't no easy fix. 

Furloughs, hiring freezes, unfilled vacancies....the list goes on and on but makes nigh a dent......See, the problem lies with how Regional Transit recieves, and in turn allocates funds from the Fed's and the State.

Why are we facing service cuts and possibly layoffs?  Simply put, our Operational bucket is almost empty while our Capital Bucket overfloweth....to a certain degree.

Operational expenditures are a world away from Capital expenditures, and one can't, by law be used for the other. 

All the shiny new busses were a capital expenditure.  The "Green Line" to Richards Blvd. is a capital expenditure. The South Line to Consumnes River College is a capital expenditure.  The McClellan bus facility is a capital expenditure.  The Lumberjack project is a capital expenditure........the list goes on and on and on.

What is the point in making all sorts of capitol improvements when the operations are not able to sustain the level of service planned for such improvements?

At the end of the day, Regional Transit is a Bus and Rail Company.  Our job is to move people. 

We are not a Real Estate Company, Law Firm, Social Service Outlet, or Soda Vending Machine Company.

As for my friend, I don't know what Regional Transit's Admin's would do without Operators.......No Operators means no Operator related paper to push.