NEW YORK, NY May 18, 2009 —City comptroller and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson wants the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reverse its plan to eliminate almost 600 customer service agents in the subway. The MTA abandoned other planned service cuts after the state legislature agreed to a bail-out earlier this month. In a letter to MTA chairman Dale Hemmerdinger, Thompson and transportation advocates say "The MTA appears to want to have it both ways" by restoring direct service cuts, but not the station agent reductions. An MTA spokesman says every subway station will still have at least one booth staffed at all times, and other exits and entrances will be able to communicate with that booth via an intercom. The MTA also says the positions will be eliminated by attrition, not layoffs.