Name: Yang wants NYC subway to be free for a week; MTA bigs say they won’t pay for it
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Yang wants NYC subway to be free for a week; MTA bigs say they won’t pay for it

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AdvertisementBy Transit ReporterMar 09, 2021 at 6:01 pmMayoral wannabe Andrew Yang wants the subway to be free for a week “to let everyone know New York is back” — a move he said will cost the cash-strapped MTA $35 million.Yang on Tuesday called for a “fare holiday” the week of Memorial Day.AdvertisementThe former presidential candidate likened the free rides to coupons used by struggling business owners to attract new customers. With subway ridership down 75% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang said freebies were the best way to convince riders to return.“A lot of New Yorkers need to be reminded about how incredible our subway system is,” said Yang. “There are folks outside of New York who might come back in if they hear the subway is free for a week.”AdvertisementMTA officials said they have no interest in paying for the free rides, but might go along with Yang’s idea if he can find a wealthy donor to cover the tab.“If Andrew Yang can write us a check or get philanthropic or private support to fund this approximately $30 million initiative, we will gladly consider it,” said MTA spokesman Andrei Berman.Even if he is elected mayor, Yang has no authority over fare policy at the MTA, which is a state agency governed by a board of directors. Even if he were mayor, he would have no power to direct the MTA chairman, who is appointed by the governor.Yang said the MTA’s decision to eliminate most bus fares last summer shows it is capable of offering free rides.“We declared a fare holiday for the buses at the beginning of the pandemic because we saw that it would be useful for the public good,” said Yang. “When we have this on the news tonight they will look up and say, ‘That (free subway rides) is a tremendous idea.’”The MTA from April to August made most of its due to concerns that bus drivers would catch COVID-19 from straphangers while they swiped their MetroCards at the fronts of buses — not because it would be a public good, as Yang asserts.“The MTA is committed to leading New York’s recovery just as we have carried New York forward through the pandemic,” Berman said. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Transit ReporterMar 09, 2021 at 6:01 pmMayoral wannabe Andrew Yang wants the subway to be free for a week “to let everyone know New York is back” — a move he said will cost the cash-strapped MTA $35 million.Yang on Tuesday called for a “fare holiday” the week of Memorial Day.AdvertisementThe former presidential candidate likened the free rides to coupons used by struggling business owners to attract new customers. With subway ridership down 75% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang said freebies were the best way to convince riders to return.“A lot of New Yorkers need to be...

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Yang wants NYC subway to be free for a week; MTA bigs say they won’t pay for it

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