Queens, NY – Tonight, Senator Tony Avella will stand with community members at York College to publicly object to the MTA’s fare hike proposal. This is the first in a series of public hearings the MTA will host before deciding to raise fares by 4% this spring. 

Senator Avella’s remarks will center on the out of touch nature of MTA’s governance structure and their refusal to make internal changes while placing the financial burden of their budget shortfall on the New Yorkers who can least afford it. 

“It is incomprehensible that a city of the size and complexity of New York City is virtually silenced in its ability to impact important decisions concerning the functioning of its own transportation system.  This is in stark contrast to other major metropolitan cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, which play either a sole or significant role in the planning and operations of their public transportation systems,” said Senator Avella.