Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel accused the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of using scare tactics in trying to ramrod through fare increases that unfairly burden its riders. He said the agency was covering up its own ineffectiveness by claiming it has to raise fares by upwards of 30 percent while cutting services.

Rep. Engel said that the MTA should look to its own house to start the savings needed to balance its budget and not start with the ridership. “Fair increases should be the last step in the process, not the first,” Rep. Engel said, “Fare increases must be considered only as a last resort, and then kept to an absolute minimum with every effort made to keep them temporary.”

In its recent history, said Rep. Engel, the MTA vastly overspent on its downtown headquarters and at this moment is investigating who is at fault for the platform being too far from the tracks at the new South Ferry station. “In short,” he said, “this agency cannot blame the failing economy for all of its troubles. It needs additional and better oversight of its projects. The MTA even speaks of how it will spend the upwards of $2 billion it expects from the federal economic recovery plan without even mentioning holding down the fare.”

The 11-term Congressman said that cutting services on many bus routes across the City and doubling fares for Access-a-Ride were also the wrong answer to the MTA budget problems.

“The same economic problems that the MTA blames for its problems also affect its ridership,” said Rep. Engel. “Many of these people were already facing hardship, and hitting them with a fare increase is unfair and cruel. These people can only afford public transportation and would be cut off by a fare increase.”

Rep. Engel continued, “The MTA must first look within the agency to save by cutting waste and deferring projects until a more prosperous time. Even relatively minor savings, such as using public transit instead of company cars will help and will reinforce to the public that the agency is serious about saving.

“At a time when asthma rates are high and rising to an all-time high in the Bronx, we should be encouraging the use of mass transit, not making it cost prohibitive for working families. Tying up traffic on the Broadway Bridge with a toll would only lead to additional traffic and pollution. It would also adversely affect parking in the Bronx.

“Once again people are asked to pay more for less. The proposed service cuts will affect everyone’s quality of life and ability to travel to and from work in a timely fashion.