News

NEW YORK, NY October 24, 2007 —The MTA says it's still planning for a fare hike next year, despite the pleas of transit riders and politicians who showed up for today's monthly board meeting.

REPORTER: Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodksy delivered a letter signed by 45 lawmakers asking the MTA to delay a fare hike until April. The assembly members said they wanted the extra time to push for more state funding.

But MTA Chief Executive Elliot Sander said he's already asking the state for hundreds of millions of dollars PLUS a congestion pricing bill, which would bring in more revenues for mass transit.

SANDER: There needs to be a great crusade to allocate these funds. And I am hopeful they will do that.

REPORTER: But Sander said the state would need to find an extra $300 million on top of that to prevent the fare hike. Public hearings on the MTA's proposal to raise the bus and subway fare to $2.25, and to up the prices of commuter trains and tolls, will begin next month.