A Boston MBTA station, half-empty due to declining ridership in the pandemic. City transit officials are considering major service cuts to the network, despite public and political outcry. | David L. Ryan/Boston Globe/Getty Images

Transit officials in Boston, New York, and DC are reducing service, eliminating routes, and laying off employees to shrink budgets.

In the early days of the pandemic, public transit ridership dropped precipitously. Americans were urged to stay home, which prompted transit agencies to swiftly implement service cuts to match this declining demand.

Transit networks needed a financial lifeline. Fare money was drying up, and existing budget gaps were further exacerbated. Through the CARES Act in March, local agencies received $25 billion in aid — bailout money that was crucial to keep networks operating through the summer despite steep declines in revenue from riders, advertisers, and taxes as