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Democratic leaders of the New York State Senate have come up with a new rescue plan for the MTA that does not rely on any new bridge tolls. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports.

REPORTER: The latest version includes a payroll tax, a dollar-a-ride surcharge on cab rides, and higher car registration fees. Straphangers would share some pain in the form of an eight percent fare hike, but that's about a third of what they’d pay if no rescue plan is approved.

The Governor's office and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have yet to take a position. But the new plan should be more acceptable than the Senate's earlier version: the payroll tax decreases the further an employer is from New York City, making it more attractive to suburban legislators; and it raises a total of $1.76 billion a year, which is about the target the MTA says it needs to survive. For WNYC, I'm Matthew Schuerman.