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News Release
Straphangers Campaign "Trick-or-Treats" MTA Board To
Protest Rumored $2 Fare, Group Hands Out "Fare-Savers,"
"$2 Whoppers,"
and "(We Already Pay) Good
& Plenty" Candies The NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign today trick-or-treated the board that runs city subways and buses to protest a rumored $2 subway and bus fare. At the board meeting, anti-fare hike protestors wore masks depicting screaming riders and held up posters saying “No” to a $2 fare. The trick-or-treaters handed out anti-fare hike candies to members of the MTA board of directors, including “Fare-Savers,” “$2 Whoppers,” and “(We Already Pay) Good & Plenty” candies. The Halloween protest is part of a major anti-fare hike campaign, which includes posting ads in 2,000 subway cars along with Transport Workers Union Local 100; handing out hundreds of thousands of leaflets to riders; and providing detailed information on two web sites, www.savethefare.org and www.straphangers.org. In July, Mayor Bloomberg said that the base transit fare might rise 50-cents from $1.50 to $2, which would be the biggest fare increase in city history. More recently, an MTA official revealed that New York City Transit is facing a $400 million deficit in 2003. The campaign charged that New York City does not receive its fair share of state transit aid. City subways and buses move 84% of the state’s transit riders annually, but receive only 63% of state aid for transit — an annual loss of $325 million. (See attached fact sheet.) “Let’s treat city riders to fairer transit funding and not trick them into higher fares,” said Gene Russianoff, senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign. -30- _____________________________________________________________________
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