New York's Subways and Buses Operating on Normal Schedules

Subways and buses operated on normal schedules, taxis used their meters instead of charging by zones, and the morning rush returned to normal today as the transit union completed 24 hours back on the job.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority had restored full subway and bus service by midmorning - much to the relief of the users of a system that provides 7.2 million rides a day.

"I feel very happy; it went on too long and it cost me too much of a hassle, and a lot of money," said Madhad Abbas, 49, who manages a restaurant in lower Manhattan and had to take $16 ferry rides to get to work during the strike. "I don't get an increase in salary every three years like they do."

This afternoon, an official involved in the talks acknowledged that the union and the transit authority were bargaining on health benefits and trying to reach an understanding on various lesser issues. The official spoke on condition that he not be identified because both sides have agreed to refrain from publicly discussing negotiations, as demanded by state mediators.

The return of public transit overnight meant the end of shared cab rides, in which taxis charged a flat fee of $10 or $20 per passenger; schools starting on time instead of two hours late; the demise of 3:30 a.m. traffic jams as commuters rushed into Manhattan before 5 a.m. carpool rules took effect; and the resumption of alternate-side parking rules.

The abrupt return of workers on Thursday - many strikers simply laid down their placards and walked into the buildings they had been picketing - capped a day of fast-moving developments in a labor showdown that just a day before seemed headed for an intractable and ugly stalemate.

Despite the end of the strike, a final settlement of the dispute remains to be reached.

Officials have previously hinted that in exchange for the union's ending the strike, the authority would significantly scale back or even abandon its insistence on less-generous pensions for future workers. In return, the union would consider having its members pay more for health insurance.