Jun 25, 2008 7:21 pm US/Eastern
MTA Ends Free E-ZPasses For Board Members
Some Whiners Make Feelings Known; Authority Next To Look At Retired Bridge And Tunnel Workers' Perks
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Free rides have come to an abrupt halt for top Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials.
The board voted on Wednesday to eliminate lifetime travel perks for current and former board members.
It's a move that has some crying foul.
It was all over in under a minute. The MTA board -- with one abstention -- voted to strip itself and 34 former board members of lifetime free EZ-Passes, and free tickets to ride the agency's buses, subways and trains. As expected, there was some whining.
Former board member Warren Dolny used his EZ-Pass 918 times last year, more than any other board member and he doesn't want to give it up.
"I intend to sue. It was given to me for a lifetime. I'm sure that if you are married or get married and somebody gives you a wedding present that they can't take it back from you," Dolny said.
But Dolny was largely in the minority.
"We have a job to do, stay focused on that," board member Norman Seabrook said. "Parking passes mean nothing to us."
"We have more important issues to deal with," Nancy Shevell added. "Let the parking pass issue die."
As CBS 2 HD first reported last November, 24,000 people received free orange EZ-Passes that accounted for 3.3 million trips.
Most go to officials who need them.
* The FDNY gets nearly 3,000.
* The NYPD gets nearly 9,000.
* The mayor's office gets 121.
* Nearly 1,000 retired bridge and tunnel workers also get them.
"As it regards the retired bridge and tunnel officers who receive that benefit we'll be looking at that as well," MTA Executive Director Eliot Sander said.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who forced the MTA to give up the freebies, said the agency did the right thing.
"It's a public board. They're there to represent the people. They're not there to represent themselves," Cuomo said. "They're not there for compensation. They're not there for perks. They're there to represent what's in the public interest."
So what happens now?
The MTA will review the passes given to retired bridge and tunnel workers to see if they are entitled to the free passes, and then it will focus on the tough job of plugging huge budget gaps that could mean another fare hike.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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