New York City's Democratic mayoral candidates demanded Gov. Pataki pull the emergency brake on the MTA's fare hike yesterday.

At a crowded rally outside of the governor's Midtown office during last night's rush hour, next year's mayoral candidates denounced Mayor Bloomberg and Pataki for allowing fares to rise. Bloomberg, they said, never stood up to Pataki and fought for straphangers.

Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx Borough president and a mayoral challenger, raised a dollar bill in the air. "The mayor is saying ‘I haven't called the governor yet,’ " he said, "I say here's a buck. It only costs a quarter, keep the change. Make the call for New Yorkers."

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron, another mayoral candidate, said, "Mayor Bloomberg, accept Freddy’s dollar, make the call."

About 150 people, from all five boroughs and the suburbs, braved the cold, shouting "MetroCard Mike, Stop the Hike," and "Use the surplus, stop the hike!" referring to a $200 million surplus the MTA is sitting on. Some held copies of Monday’s amNewYork, with the lead story "Lapp of Luxury" about the 22% raise given this year to Katie Lapp, executive director of the MTA.

The rally, organized by the Straphangers Campaign, Transportation Alternatives, and the Transport Workers Union, was a last ditch effort to convince Pataki to stop the fare increase and plans to shutter 164 token booths.

City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Anthony Weiner, a Congressman representing Brooklyn and Queens, both called any increase a tax on the working class.

Bloomberg has said he hasn't discussed the fare hike with Pataki but that he opposes it and will direct his MTA representatives to vote against it.

"The fare hike doesn’t make sense, even the MTA said they don’t need the money," said Richard Solensky, 42, of New Rochelle.

Tomorrow the MTA board will vote on its 2005 budget which includes the controversial fare increase. Several MTA board members already said they will easily approve it as part of the 2005 budget.

Pataki appointed six of the 14 board members and could order them to vote down the increase, protesters said. The governor has said the MTA is an independent entity and should not be subject to political pressure.

The MTA said yesterday that when MetroCard discounts are factored in, the average cost of a subway or bus trip will rise just six cents, from $1.23 to $1.29.

Larry Reuter, executive director of New York City Transit, backed off plans to eliminate more than 600 station agents from the subways yesterday. As originally planned, 164 service booths will be shuttered but Reuter said those 600 workers will be now reassigned as customer service agents.

Reuter said that for now there would be no cuts in bus frequency as first planned.
Ted Dunn, a Pataki-appointee from Westchester, said the hike "is necessary to provide stability to the MTA" and it will easily pass. The agency is facing a projected $1 billion deficit by 2008.

Barry Feinstein, chairman of the New York City Transit Committee, said, "There isn't a situation where the board votes to defeat" the budget.

Bloomberg’s four representatives on the New York City Transit committee, voted against the budget. They managed to deadlock the committee vote but that will have no impact on the final MTA vote tomorrow.

The revised 2005 budget figures released yesterday show a $101 million deficit before belt-tightening. The MTA estimates it can cut costs by $117 million and eliminate the deficit before the fare hikes are factored in. And if the authority counted the $200 million that it stashed in a rainy day fund, it would have an even larger surplus for next year.

Neysa Pranger, a coordinator the Straphangers Campaign, said, "The fact that the MTA keeps coming ahead of forecasts is good news for riders. It is clear the MTA does not need a fare hike and service reductions in 2005, and this makes that point even further."