Bridgeport, CT – Mayor Joe Ganim Thursday joined State Representative Steve Stafstrom (D-129), members of the Bridgeport City Council, unionized bus drivers and riders in calling for Connecticut lawmakers to prevent drastic state budget cuts proposed to the Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) public bus system. Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019 calls for a $1.8 Million reduction in state funding for GBT starting on July 1, 2018 – representing a 15%25 cut. This is the single largest proposed cut to public transportation services in Connecticut, though the Governor’s budget would also cut bus service in the areas of Norwich, New London, Milford, Danbury, Torrington, Norwalk, and Derby. No cuts were proposed to the Waterbury, New Haven, Hartford, or Stamford areas. The Governor’s budget calls for a 50%25 reduction in funds for GBT in FY 2020 – which would devastate the bus service and end many routes that riders have come to rely on for connections between the greater Bridgeport area, lower Fairfield County and the Naugatuck River Valley.