At today's MTA monthly board meeting, BRU organizers and members began struggling with the MTA over how it will use Obama Stimulus funds.

The good, the bad

On the positive, a good majority of money is designated for maintenance and actually will be used for maintenance (instead of being diverted). Concretely, that means:

• $47 million to repair/refurbish 400 buses (Bus Midlife Program)
• $24 million for 53 new buses for Contracted Services
• $60 million for 100 new buses to replace worn buses (Bus Replacement)
• $28 million for environmental upgrades to CNG fueling depots (electrify compression of natural gas)

Total $159 million worth of bus-related maintenance costs.

On the negative, the rail funding coming from the Stimulus Package is almost double the bus funding. For every Stimulus dollar assigned for buses, 2 dollars are given to rail.

The big question

The MTA was already planning to do all these maintenance projects with its own funds. So what happens to all the MTA money that's now freed up by the Stimulus maintenance funding? Will the $159 million be used to reduce fares, expand bus service or will it be diverted, once again, to costly, racist, environmentally unsustainable rail?