MTA Board Members Sloughing Off Public Meetings: Report

Half of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board failed to show up to most – or any – of this month’s public fare-hike hearings, according to the New York Daily News.

There were eight public hearings spread over six evenings in November, and of the 16 board members, one never showed up to any of the hearings, six members made it to one, and another showed up to only two.

The MTA is expected to increase the base fare for a subway ride from $2.25 to $2.50 this March.

Former Gov. David Paterson, who sits on the MTA’s board, was unable to make it to the hearings because he hosts a radio show on WOR, explained his spokesman to the paper. Other members, like John Banks, VP of consumer affairs and government relations for Con Edison, could not make the hearings because of Hurricane Sandy.

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota made it to seven hearings, and board members Fernando Ferrer and Allen Cappelli attended five hearings each.

Several board members told the Daily News on Thursday that they plan to vote to increase the base fare, and they expect that other board members will follow suit.

Do you think the MTA board members need to make a more concerted effort to hear the concerns of the public? Let us know in the comments.