Nov 6, 2007 10:03 am US/Eastern
Straphangers Speak Out Against MTA Fare Hike
Call On Governor Spitzer To Boost MTA Funding
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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MTA riders came to public hearings to take a stand against a proposed fare hike.
CBS
More than 75 speakers gave the MTA an earful Monday.
Their message was loud and clear: they do not want to pay a quarter more to ride the city's subway and buses.
One rider said "This is no way to run a system...the service stinks." Another said: "I say 'hell no' to a fare hike." Yet another added, "I can't even see my feet the train is so crowded."
The proposed plan would raise the base bus and subway way to $2.25, but it would also introduce an off-peak ride of $1.50. There would also be a new 14-day discounted metrocard, as well as a 6 percent raise for Metro North and Long Island Railroad riders and for those who use MTA-run bridges and tunnels.
The MTA says they need $300 more from Albany to save them."There is no such thing as a free lunch," said Eliot Sander, exececutive director of the MTA.
The head of the straphangers campaign brought a life-size cardboard-cutout of Governor Spitzer, saying he's the only person who could do something about a fare hike.
But the real governor was non-commital. "We have been having meetings to discuss what we can afford, how much we can put in. I'm not going to give specific numbers now," Spitzer said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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