Straphangers Protest Student MetroCard Cuts

New York, NY —

School parents and elected officials are holding rallies across the city today in protest against the MTA's plan to eliminate free student MetroCards. Council member Gale Brewer was at a demonstration on the Upper West Side and says that in addition to burdening parents with the cost of a regular MetroCard, the measure would affect after school activities as well. "Those MetroCards not only pay to go back and forth to school, but they pay for the tutoring, they pay for the karate, they pay for the soccer. They actually enhance that students' education," Brewer says.

More than half a million students use free or discounted MetroCards. The MTA proposed phasing them out between next year and 2011, in order to help plug a $400 million budget gap. The measure is part of a slate of planned service reductions including the elimination of some subway and bus lines.

The full MTA board votes on the cuts tomorrow.