The NFTA’s proposed cuts to local bus routes have the potential to really hurt the little guy, the rider who relies on the bus to get to work, to shop, to get to the doctor’s.

It just shouldn’t happen.

We know the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is grappling with ways to close a $7.1 million operating deficit. But it hasn’t grappled so much as grabbed in its current proposal. It wants to cut 81 bus routes and reduce services to 14 others.

The plan would impact several routes in Niagara County, including every one of the bus routes that provide service to and within Lockport.

We urge the NFTA to find a way to keep the routes local residents rely on.

Find other places to cut — executive salaries — whatever is needed. But don’t undercut the livelihoods of the working men and women of our cities and communities.

Find other sources of revenue — don’t reach deeper into the pockets of those already turning those pockets inside-out to find change for the bus.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, has written a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him, in part, to honor the NFTA’s request for $10 million in deficit reduction funds.

We are not in a hurry to cast Albany as the savior in this dilemma, because any bus bailout in the form of state aid would likely be coming from the state’s already overtaxed taxpayers.

But another of Grisanti’s requests we definitely can endorse: The state should allow the NFTA to access an additional 8 megawatts of low-cost power, potentially saving the agency an estimated $1.8 million per year. Grisanti says the low-cost power allocation would also help with “overall service delivery and long-term financial planning.”

The senator and his Assembly colleague, John Ceretto, have been vocal and eloquent on behalf of the Western New York customers of the NFTA.

Grisanti put it this way: “My constituents need access to public transportation to get to work, if they can’t get to work then they will lose their job and go on some sort of public assistance. That is unacceptable on my watch.”

Ceretto said the transit system has an undeniable place in our economy and argued for the additional low-cost power to provide NFTA with “predictable revenue streams and operating costs, which will allow for less fluctuation in range of services.”

This has to happen. More low-cost power belongs in the host communities that need the help. They lie in the shadow of the Niagara Power Project, and should benefit a lot more than they currently do.

We also urge riders who would be affected by these cuts to speak out at one of the five public hearings about the proposed cuts that will be held beginning in late January. The closest one for most local residents would be at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at Niagara Falls City Hall.

If the cuts would hit you hard, let your voice be heard. You can also email comments to planning@nfta.com or write to the NFTA at 181 Ellicott St., Buffalo, NY 14201, attn.: Service Planning Department. It’s the best way to show we’re not just along for the ride.