MTA Student MetroCard Petition

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Not only are we losing B23 along Cortelyou during the week thanks to the MTA’s cuts, the changes to student MetroCards are in my mind a step too far. This petition came via Scott Stringer’s (Manhattan Borough President) office, and if you feel so inclined, you can add you name to it here:

To:  Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Jay Walder
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
347 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Walder:

Hard working parents and students should not be punished for the MTA’s poor planning and mismanagement of its budget. The proposal to cut the free and reduced fare Student MetroCard program as a means of balancing the MTA budget is unacceptable and should be taken off the table immediately.

The free-fare student program accounts for less than 2% of the total MTA budget, and the State has not pulled its weight to fund this program as promised. However, eliminating such an important program to close a relatively small gap would be extremely shortsighted and detrimental to New York City’s future. While other jurisdictions rely on a yellow school bus to get their children to school, in New York City the yellow MetroCard is our school bus, which 400,000 students rely on every day to travel to school and participate in after-school activities. Cutting the Student MetroCard program is not the answer to the MTA’s budget shortfall, and we will not stand for its proposed elimination.

The MTA must act responsibly and consider a wide range of budget solutions before placing this financial burden on parents and students. We urge you to withdraw the MTA proposal to cut the free and reduced fare Student MetroCard program.

Sincerely,

(Your Name Here)

This is what Marty Markowitz ( Brooklyn Borough President) said in response to the MTA’s decision to cut services and discounted MetroCards a few days back:

Today’s vote by the MTA to eliminate or scale back subway and bus service, Access-A-Ride and discounted student fares is unconscionable, and couldn’t come at a worse time for New Yorkers not only struggling to keep their jobs, but who will soon have fewer commuting choices to get to and from the workplace. These “punitive” measures fail to equitably spread the burden of funding public transit throughout the entire MTA region. In Brooklyn, the elimination of Z subway service (forcing the J line to run local), the closing of the Lawrence Street Station overnights along the R line, changes to the G and M lines in Brooklyn and Queens, drastic reductions in regular bus service—including the elimination of weekday service on the B23, B25, B37, B39, B51 and B75, as well as weekend service on the B7, B14, B31, B45, B48, B57, B64, B65, B67 and B77—and reductions in Access-A-Ride will add up to a disproportionate burden for Brooklynites, including students and their parents, as well as our seniors with no other way of getting around.

Tags: MTA
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