Today, Borough President Scott Stringer joined Gene Russianoff, lead attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, Assembly Members Micah Kellner and Linda Rosenthal, Council Member Gale Brewer, and dozens of concerned parents at the 72nd Street Subway stop to call on the MTA to reinstate funding for the Student MetroCard program.

The estimated cost of the Free-Fare Student Program is only about 2% of the total MTA budget. The transit agency has proposed eliminating this program, and instead it plans on charging students half-price fares next year, and full fares starting in 2011.

Holding up a MetroCard, the Borough President said, “I want to remind the MTA what this represents for 500,000 children. This is the lifeline for our kids. This is the way they go to school, this is the way they go to after school programs, this is how they learn to navigate our city. It’s this little card. In other localities around the State, it’s the yellow school bus. We don’t have the yellow school bus, but we have the yellow MetroCard. This is how our children roll, and under no circumstances, no budget deficit is going to be bounced on the back of our kids.” 

Roughly half a million students currently participate in the free and/or discounted program. Their families will be forced to look elsewhere to find money to fund their trips to and from school. This additional expense is one that many simply cannot afford.

Sign this petition to join parents and students all over NYC in telling the MTA that it must take this proposal off the table. 

Also, click here to read a Daily News story and New York Times story on this issue

Also, click here to read our press release