Photo credit: Marla Maritzer

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. joined Gene Russionaoff, Attorney, NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign, to hand out leaflets and speak out against the threatened subway fare hikes and service cuts at the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station on February 4, 2009.

View the Straphangers Campaign's press release

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. joined transit advocates this morning to leaflet subway riders, urging them to speak up against threatened subway fare hikes and service cuts.

“Once again, the MTA is asking subway and bus riders to cover its budget shortfalls while it also intends to cut services and delay key projects,” Thompson said. “Instead of asking subway and bus riders – who can least afford it – to dig deeper into emptier pockets for less service, the MTA needs to seek imaginative ideas that will ensure that those who benefit from a healthy transit system pay their fair share.”

Thompson handed out leaflets to riders at the 34th Street – Herald Square subway station (B, D, F, Q, R, and V), which is the third busiest subway station in the system.

As an alternative to a fare hike and service cuts, Thompson has proposed a weight-based vehicle annual registration fee of $100 for vehicles of 2,300 pounds or less, plus 9 cents for every pound over that. Coupled with the reinstatement of the commuter tax, this plan would bring almost $2 billion a year to the agency.

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