NEW YORK, Dec. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Officials of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said Friday that it will not budge from their offer rejected by transit workers early in the morning after an overnight bargaining session.

    "This is the MTA's final offer," said MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow. "There is no more. Our offer that is out there is the best that were going to come up with."

    Gary Dellaverson, chief negotiator for the MTA, said the agency has not made a determination about when to certify the existence of an impasse. And Lalikow expressed readiness to talk if union negotiators want, but he said no talks were scheduled.

    Earlier Friday, the transit union announced a series of small-scale strikes that start with private bus lines and then spread to MTA properties in a move to put pressure on the city. It delayed a decision on a citywide strike until at least 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, saying it was prepared to continue contract negotiations.

    Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a strike next week "would be a lot worse than if a strike had taken place at midnight last night."

    "It is the last full shopping week before Christmas, it would be really damaging to a lot of people. A lot of people in this city work in industries where if the customers don't show, they don't have a job, they don't get paid," he said.

    He said he hoped the intent of a new deadline "is to bargain in good faith and not just to stall and try to get more leverage.

    The bus lines affected by the strike, the Triboro Coach lines and Jamaica buses, served areas mainly in Queens that have limited public transit options. About 50,000 riders are served by the lines daily.

    However, it was not immediately clear when, or even if, a bus strike was to begin. The lines continued to run during the Friday morning rush-hour.

    "Unless everybody goes on strike, together with the blue buses, the subways, the private lines are not gong on strike first," Jamaica Bus Lines supervisor William Barrios was quoted as saying. He also said his local union representative told bus employees to keep working, at least for now. Enditem