The Strike Hit Queens on Monday

Queens folks had the misfortune of being the first to feel the inconvenience of the transit strike. Today drivers from Jamaica Bus and Triboro Coach Company walked off the job, leaving thousands scrambling for alternate means to work, school, and home.

Tuesday the rest of New York might feel the full force of the strike when the subways and all buses are shut down. Negotiations between the Transport Workers Union and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority haven't gone anywhere.

Dollar vans, charging up to $5 a passenger, and livery cabs, charging $10, were out in force today, but who wants to pay two to five times your normal commuting costs? Newsday quoted one commuter:

"They're like sharks who smell blood," Bobby Chen said of the taxi and livery cabs circling a Jackson Heights transit hub shortly after the strike began.

• Complete Strike Coverage from NY Times

• Transit Strike Survival Guide - Queens Edition
• Gotham Gazette on the Strike