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Transit authorities have recommended the elimination of nine Metrobus routes in Prince George's County in order to reduce budget shortfalls, to the chagrin of some riders and local officials.

The cancellation of the routes, several which are in Bowie and Greenbelt, would cut costs by more than $4 million and are part of a larger restructuring of routes and changes being made across the Washington metropolitan region to reduce the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's budget shortfall. Public hearings are scheduled before the decision to cut routes is made final.

Routes proposed for cancellation are the B27 from Bowie State University to New Carrollton Metro, and B29 and B31 from Crofton to New Carrollton, C7 and C9 from Greenbelt to Glenmont, C12 and C14 in Hillcrest Heights, R3 from Greenbelt to Fort Totten and W15 along Indian Head Highway.

"Generally speaking, the goal was to identify service adjustments that would impact the fewest number of riders possible," said Thomas Webster, the Maryland Department of Transportation liaison to WMATA. "If [a route] has low cost recovery or low ridership, it would be more likely to be identified."

As a C9 bus pulled away from the Greenbelt Metro station just before 5 p.m., only three riders were aboard. Rider Yvonne Williams of College Park said she'd be upset if the bus route was eliminated because she takes it to get home every day. "I can take another bus but this is more convenient," she said.

There are at least three alternative routes for every route selected for cancellation, according to WMATA. Neither Webster nor WMATA provided ridership numbers for the routes by deadline.

Several officials would also like to see the bus routes stay the same.

"We don't even have adequate service now," said Bowie City Councilman Todd Turner (Dist. 3). "The county relies on the Metro more so than other jurisdictions."

The Bowie City Council voted Monday to formally oppose the cuts, which they said would remove the only transit link between Old Town Bowie and Bowie State University.

Greenbelt Mayor Judith Davis said the route cuts proposed in Greenbelt are not major ones for Greenbelt residents and the City Council does not plan to take a stance on the issue; however, she's heard from civic groups that residents plan to attend the public hearings to speak against the cuts.

The Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation is against the cuts and submitted alternatives to service cuts, said spokeswoman Susan Hubbard. DPWT suggested Metro either use a one-time transfer of funds from the federal stimulus package to pay for the shortfall or transfer funds meant for preventative maintenance. However Metro board members said the one time use of money to offset the shortfalls could lead to further cuts next year.

"If you use capital funds to fill a hole in the operating budget then you create a position where you have to fill that hole next year plus inflation," said Metro's First Vice Chairman Peter Benjamin, who represents Maryland.

Benjamin said the Metro board will listen to residents' suggestions about the route cuts during upcoming public hearings, but he said the board has little room to work with in holding off cuts because fare hikes were already vetoed by board members. Current bus fares are $1.25 to $1.35 for regular service and $3 to $3.10 for express fares.

The meeting in Prince George's County will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall, located at 6201 Belcrest Road in Hyattsville.

Metro's board is expected to take a final vote on budget proposals in June after weighing public input.