Scores of MTA bus drivers spent a happy holiday week at their garages, collecting paychecks for playing chess and dominoes and watching TV because the agency cut services to save money.
The cash-strapped MTA slashed bus services around the city from Christmas through to Monday because it expected fewer riders.
The good news -- it saved money in fuel and maintenance costs. The bad news -- the savings would have been a lot bigger if the MTA had not been doling out wages to bored bus drivers.
"We are there for eight hours with nothing to do," according to one bus driver who asked not to be identified. "We're watching TV, basically just hanging around talking."
An MTA spokesman said there was little the agency could do to adjust staffing levels, saying it needs to change union rules requiring that bus drivers get five full shifts a week.
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