New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued the following statement regarding the funding package proposed by Albany lawmakers that would prevent service cuts and lower the fare increase.

“New Yorkers can breathe a bit more easily with the announcement that Albany lawmakers believe they have an agreement to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) operating budget and prevent a massive fare hike and draconian service cuts.

I am disappointed that Albany has been unable to prevent a fare increase of any amount. The 25-cent fare hike will hurt already cash-strapped New Yorkers at a time when they can least afford it. 

But this is only a stop-gap measure, and Albany’s job is very far from over. Legislators must get right back to work to pass a fully funded 2010-2014 MTA capital program this year.

Anything less would mean a return to the days of broken-down trains, decrepit buses and decaying stations and signal systems – which our City and State cannot afford. This already is a grave concern, given the delays in fixing vital safety systems that I pointed out in my 2007 review of the MTA’s “State of Good Repair” program.

With this current package, MTA New York City Transit must now pull back on all of its more than 300 service cuts, including its proposal to eliminate station booth agents at 144 stations. These agents act as the eyes and ears of the system and help keep it safe.

In recent days, I also called on President Obama to commit federal money to the growing number of transit agencies across the country, including the MTA, who are faced with major operating deficits. The original stimulus funding bill included such funding.” 
 
In his letter to the President last week, Thompson wrote: “Federal funding would have an immediate impact, preserving thousands of jobs and possibly restoring already dismissed workers to their positions.” Thompson’s letter can be viewed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov.

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