While politicians mouth sound-bites about the "middle-class" Governor Paterson & Mayor Bloomberg are putting the bite on all of us. Their alter ego, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is preparing for fare increases and service cutbacks.

No community is not affected and every one is trying to save his or her favorite bus line or subway stop from oblivion. Review the current MTA proposal . Consider coming to the public hearings the first of which is Wednesday night.

MTA Hearing This Wednesday Wed Jan 14 6 pm-9 pm Hilton NY, Trianon Ballroom (Third floor)1335 Ave of the Americas (between 53-54 Streets), Manhattan Subways: E,V to 5 Av/53 St, or B,D,F,V to to 47-50th St/Rockefeller Ctr. Buses: M5, M6, M7 Registration to speak: open till 9 pm at hearing. Limit 3 minutes per speaker.
You can register to speak in advance, or comment in writing: contact Douglas Sussman, Director of MTA Community Affairs, 347 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10017, 212-878-7483.

Other hearings are scheduled click here.

One of the more self-defeating parts of this charade -- thank you David Paterson, Michael Bloomberg -- is the opportunity for each adversely affected community to fight to prevent it's favorite service from getting the axe.  read more »

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The MTA ONCE AGAIN wants to hike our fares even as service gets worse. I can't believe how bad the F line has become. It should be the quickest way I can take to pick up my son at day care. It has so many major delays and snags that I have almost given up on it.

ONCE AGAIN, the MTA wants to raise our fares.

When I was in Los Angeles, I noticed that bus fares (I have never taken the tiny subway in LA) were about the same as they were when I left LA more than 10 years ago.

In NYC this will be, I think, the third (?) fare hike since I moved here.

Where does the money go? Does the MTA still illegally keep two sets of books, one to brag about and one to use to convince people they have to pay more, more, more?

Here is the Straphangers Campaign's statement on the proposed fare hike:

Here are some questions that New Yorkers should be asking about a possible fare hike in the months to come:

Do the financial numbers show the MTA facing a serious budget deficit in 2008 and beyond?  read more »