120808m8bus.jpgThe express buses that many commuters rely upon to travel between their jobs in Manhattan to their far-flung outer-borough apartments are going under the MTA's sharpened budget knife, with an expected fare increase from $5 to $7.50, along with service cuts. But not if Mayor Bloomberg has anything to say about it—sources tell the Daily News that Bloomberg is pressuring MTA board members to spare the express buses. Next week the board is expected to adopt a "Draconian" budget, which could include the elimination of at least eight express bus routes. Bloomberg is telling his four city-appointed board members to give express bus riders a break because many of them lack other mass transit options to get to and from Manhattan.