— — Area Metro Bus rides will have a chance this evening to tell officials from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority what they think about plans to cut several local routes.

The NFTA is holding a hearing at 6 p.m. tonight at Niagara Falls city hall to solicit comments on its proposal to cut routes as it attempts to offset a significant budget shortfall.

Todd Vaarwerk, a spokesperson for Western New York Independent Living, Inc., said his organization plans to make its presence known during the meeting in hopes of staving off route cuts and reductions that he says would have a serious ripple effect on the disabled community.

“They are a transportation authority,” Vaarwerk said, speaking of the NFTA. “It should be their job to provide transportation. By cutting transportation routes in Niagara County at least by more than half, they are not fulfilling their mission. I think they need to go back and re-examine all options necessary to get service restored.”

Proposed cuts are extensive in the Tonawandas. Some of the proposals include complete elimination of the No. 11 Colvin, No. 35 Sheridan, No. 61 North Tonawanda express, No. 79 Tonawanda Express and No. 200 North Tonawanda-Wheatfield routes, along with reduced service for the No. 34 Niagara Falls Boulevard route beyond Ridge Lea.

NFTA management proposed cuts in Metro bus services and personnel as part of a plan to deal with an estimated $14.7 million budget deficit. The plan calls for eliminating or reducing numerous routes in Niagara and Erie counties and cutting 50 positions, including 20 on the NFTA’s police force. A budget plan approved by the NFTA’s board of commissioners earlier this year called for the elimination of a total of 81 bus routes in Western New York, with 14 more being reduced.

Vaarwerk said the cuts would have a direct impact on Metro bus users, but they also could drastically reduce the availability of transportation services offered to individuals who qualify for specialized help through the paratransit system. Federal law requires paratransit services to be offered to individuals who are unable — due to the nature of the disabilities — to use traditional public transportation offerings, including standard Metro buses. Vaarwerk said cuts in standard Metro bus services will likely result in cuts to paratransit offerings in communities in Niagara County. Those cuts, he said, will have a severe impact on the ability of people with disabilities to get to their places of employment, medical appointments or personal and community responsibilities, such as voting.

WNY Independent Living, Inc. estimates that more than 20,000 Western New Yorkers with disabilities rely on public transportation on a day-to-day basis. In 2011, the group says 165,000 rides were provided by NFTA paratransit services, according to the authority’s own statistics.

“Many people with disabilities in our community have no other options other than what the NFTA provides,” added Douglas Usiak, executive director of WNY Independent Living, Inc.

The NFTA will solicit comments regarding the budget process during a hearing at 6 p.m. tonight at Niagara Falls City Hall, 745 Main St.

Public comments can also be emailed to planning@nfta.com or sent in writing to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, 181 Ellicott St., Buffalo, NY 14201. Letters should be addressed to the  attention of the Service Planning Department. All comments must be received by Feb. 2.