Spitzer’s Critics: “Take A Hike!”

Poor guy just can’t catch a break:

The cost of a MetroCard swipe could rise in January for almost 85% of subway and bus riders, even though Governor Spitzer yesterday ordered the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hold the base fare at $2 at least until 2009.

Mr. Spitzer’s proposal, which allows for a hike in ticket prices on all discounted MetroCards, is drawing fire from MTA board members and elected officials who say his plan would benefit tourists and force commuting New Yorkers to shoulder the load of the transit authority’s looming financial deficits.

“This is not good enough for me,” an MTA board member who opposes a fare hike, Mitchell Pally, said in an interview. “Why is the $2 fare so sacrosanct? The impact on the seven-day fare and the 30-day fare, those to me are more important.”

Weekly, monthly, and discounted MetroCards account for 84.9% of subway and bus ride swipes. Mr. Spitzer’s plan also allows for a fare hike aboard the commuter railroads.

Mr. Spitzer’s plan “might come at the unfortunate expense to average New York City commuters who depend on unlimited passes for their daily commute,” Council Member Simcha Felder, a Democrat of Brooklyn, said in a statement.

For further research: we need more data on exactly how many low-income riders depend on swipes — and whether there are really more tourists who will benefit . . .