Dec 18, 2007 7:55 pm US/Eastern
Riders To MTA: Now Is The Time For Bill Of Rights
Will Deal With Fare Hike As Long As Liberties Recognized
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to raise fares Wednesday, but on Tuesday politicians and transit riders were fighting back.
As CBS 2 HD has learned, they're demanding a tough new subway rider's bill of rights in exchange for shelling out more cash.
On the eve of another fare hike, opponents were trying a new and dramatic way to hold the MTA's feet to the fire.
"We don't get a lot of the most basic information that riders in other cities have come to expect and that's no longer acceptable," said City Councilman Bill de Blasio, D-Brooklyn.
And with those words a group of politicians and transit advocates demanded that the city's transit agency finally consider the needs and concerns of the people who ride the rails. They want a subway rider's bill of rights -- and they want it now.
"I think that's a very good idea," one rider told CBS 2 HD.
Riders have very definite ideas about what guarantees they want to see from the MTA. They made several suggestions to CBS 2 HD.
* Faster trains
* Polite service from ticket booth employees said Anthony Dicrescio of Brooklyn.
* On-time buses, as described in bus schedules.
* Cleaner trains and cleaner stations
* Guaranteed regular service on weekends and accurate announcement boxes
* More announcements on delays
The bill of rights includes promises of:
* Affordable fares
* On-time service
* Real time notification via the Internet of service changes
* Helpful personnel
* Working payphones in every station
"It's not too much to ask that if you're going to ask the working people of this city to dig into their pockets and find that extra money to get to work every day to give them a basic set of standards," said transit advocate Gary Reilly of Brooklyn.
The transit authority says it has budgeted $70 million to boost quality, safety and security services, but it made no commitment to a rider's bill of rights.
Councilman de Blasio says if the agency doesn't do the bill of rights on its own he will introduce legislation to force its hand.
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