Mayor Bloomberg: If students can't get free MetroCards, neither should retired MTA

By Pete Donohue and Kate Lucadamo

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Hermann for NewsMayor Bloomberg questioned the policy of giving free MetroCards to MTA retirees on his weekly radio show.

If students can't get a free ride, MTA retirees shouldn't either, Mayor Bloomberg said Friday.

The mayor called into question the policy of giving retired transit workers free bus and subway rides since free and reduced cards for city students are on the chopping block.

"Does it make any sense to give retirees passes for the rest of their lives and not give our kids passes so they can go to school? No," Bloomberg said during his weekly radio show. "It's pretty hard to argue that that is an intelligent policy."

About 20,000 former retired bus, subway and commuter train workers get travel passes for their twilight years as a retirement benefit. Some 585,000 students also have free or discounted MetroCards - but they could lose them because of the MTA's budget woes.

The travel-pass benefit has been in transit workers' negotiated contracts for decades, officials said.

"After years of fiscal irresponsibility by the state government and the MTA, Mayor Bloomberg wants to hang the current fiscal woes around the necks of the elderly, our retirees, and that's not right," Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen said.

Don't transit workers get pension already?

Don't transit workers get pension already?

Yes they do.

• Bloomburg gives away 99% of his $$$+$$$ he is saving for a 4th term as mayor to
  
• No transit cuts
  
• All discounts & free cards saved
  
• Fare goes back to $2
  
• If not possible, Bloomburg must give away all of his $$$ to
  

These people gave 20 plus years of service to the public....I think a free metro card when you are in golden years is the least they can do for the workers......I am sure they will not be using and abusing this privilege.

So the City and State of New York cut their portion of funds for student metrocards and they want the MTA to continue to fund it but of course no one in the media mentions that. Always got to make the MTA into the big bad evil agency.

Why in the world should MTA give free or even reduced Metrocards to students? If the government wants to give this benefit to students, then it should come entirely from the school budget. The other riders should not have to subsidize the rides of students. Let their parents pay for it, or the school budget, or public assistance if the case may be. The MTA can't even afford to pay its own way, without being subsidized by motorists with excessive taxes and tolls that go far beyond the cost of maintaining toll facilities.

As for retirees, the passes are a traditional perk for employees that in some cases are negotiated for in their contracts.

Why in the world should MTA give free or even reduced Metrocards to students? If the government wants to give this benefit to students, then it should come entirely from the school budget. The other riders should not have to subsidize the rides of students. Let their parents pay for it, or the school budget, or public assistance if the case may be. The MTA can't even afford to pay its own way, without being subsidized by motorists with excessive taxes and tolls that go far beyond the cost of maintaining toll facilities.

As for retirees, the passes are a traditional perk for employees that in some cases are negotiated for in their contracts.

It's funny how Touche Turtle, makes this statement. I doubt most workers even use their cards when they retire. We barely use it now to get to work, since quite a few of us own cars, and live outside the city. He want's to guilt the MTA into funding, what his agency and the state should be funding in its entirety. The MTA needs to step up, and tell Bloomberg that it is not the MTA's job to fund student MetroCards. This is a business still yet, and the city and state must fund that program in full, not this business. For this business to give something that will cost this business, is bad for business.........

Just typical political bs... the two issues are hardly related. These idiot politicians are either stupid or ignorant of the fact that student MCs is an issue for the DOE or the city. NOT THE MTA!

Also if anything the upper management probably drives/takes a limo than to take mass transit anyway, those people should lose the free rides. As for the retired workers in general, they SHOULD KEEP their metrocards.

This has to be the most stupidest thing turd Bloomberg has said these people work 16 hours deserve their lifetime transit pass that's the least the public can give them. This illustrates how out of touch and upper class the turd is. When I think the turd cannot go any lower Bloomberg suggest we should march on Washington on behalf of wall street so they could get larger bonuses is he serious, does this turd have alzheimers are what. The turd is out of his mind he is so anti union and middle class.

Who wants to go protest in city hall on Saturday followed by a fantrip:confused:

Bloomberg is a f-ing a-hole and a disgrace and every one of these joke propopsals of his is a slap in the face both to people who gave their LIVES to public service in NYC for many years and to the very citizens he was illegally re-elected to HELP. He refuses to punish the financial crooks, he defends them publicly as "competent guys", he refuses to support key city services like fire, NYPD, education, and transit, yet has money for his stupid projects and continues to suggest congestion pricing another TAX on NYC residents who have to drive to do their jobs, and now he wants to take those workers who survived their public service careers and years of steel dust and diesel fumes and take away one of the few things left that the city and state still do for retirees. Meanwhile how does he expect people to get by in retirement? Ah that's right I forgot he's a finance crook, so they're supposed to save for their own retirements from Day 1 because people are all rich and don't have bills to pay and have the foresight and the ability to put away 30% of a paycheck from Day One and stick it with one of his buddy money managers that buys a Bloomberg terminal and runs a Ponzi Scheme...I mean investment company.

This guy has no clue and every additional day that he is in office makes me angrier that the city council allowed him to illegally run and that the voters of what was once the greatest city in the world were too stupid and gullible to have made a real stand, voted him out, and humbled him and sent him out of Gracie Mansion on his ass wondering what to do next because had that happened I'm confident we would have been having some very different conversations today. You may not agree with all of what I post on here but that is the god's honest truth and anyone who thinks that this jerkoff is doing ANYthing for the working and middle class in NY City is as clueless as the city council that allowed him to run for re-election in violation of the results of the referendum that said he could NOT.

Bloomberg is a f-ing a-hole and a disgrace and every one of these joke propopsals of his is a slap in the face both to people who gave their LIVES to public service in NYC for many years and to the very citizens he was illegally re-elected to HELP. He refuses to punish the financial crooks, he defends them publicly as "competent guys", he refuses to support key city services like fire, NYPD, education, and transit, yet has money for his stupid projects and continues to suggest congestion pricing another TAX on NYC residents who have to drive to do their jobs, and now he wants to take those workers who survived their public service careers and years of steel dust and diesel fumes and take away one of the few things left that the city and state still do for retirees. Meanwhile how does he expect people to get by in retirement? Ah that's right I forgot he's a finance crook, so they're supposed to save for their own retirements from Day 1 because people are all rich and don't have bills to pay and have the foresight and the ability to put away 30% of a paycheck from Day One and stick it with one of his buddy money managers that buys a Bloomberg terminal and runs a Ponzi Scheme...I mean investment company.

 

This guy has no clue and every additional day that he is in office makes me angrier that the city council allowed him to illegally run and that the voters of what was once the greatest city in the world were too stupid and gullible to have made a real stand, voted him out, and humbled him and sent him out of Gracie Mansion on his ass wondering what to do next because had that happened I'm confident we would have been having some very different conversations today. You may not agree with all of what I post on here but that is the god's honest truth and anyone who thinks that this jerkoff is doing ANYthing for the working and middle class in NY City is as clueless as the city council that allowed him to run for re-election in violation of the results of the referendum that said he could NOT.

He's gonna run for more terms as mayor, even when he is dead.Yet, the city will be dumb enough to have an elderly man run for mayor

Bloomturd has no say with the , it's a state chartered entity. Guy needs to leave NYC alone and let a real person represent it.

- A

Bloomturd has no say with the , it's a state chartered entity. Guy needs to leave NYC alone and let a real person represent it.

 

- A

He should go upstate , where the state can really use him, there cities and major towns lack great investment:eek:

He should go upstate , where the state can really use him, there cities and major towns lack great investment:eek:

Yeah, I think he'd do a great job if he was the mayor of Buffalo NY.

Now that city can use a shot in the arm. The area where the light rail runs is sorely in need of development.

Personally I'm on the fence with this

The retired workers did give many years of service to the TA and should be at least rewarded with free metrocards, however, most real New Yorkers aren't rich and wouldn't like to hear that they gave the funds for their kids metrocards to MTA workers so they can have free metrocards. I'm speaking from the perspective of the few kids that actually wanna learn, and whos parents don't wanna keep shelling out more and more money they don't have to the MTA, and thinks distribution of metrocards should be based on how far they are from the school AND their parents yearly income, and from someone who thinks we treat our senior citizens pretty crappy here, how they get screwed over pension wise and gave away some of the best years of their lives to make it better for us today. Before arguing about something I like to see it from both sides and then make my argument.

Personally I'm on the fence with this

 

The retired workers did give many years of service to the TA and should be at least rewarded with free metrocards, however, most real New Yorkers aren't rich and wouldn't like to hear that they gave the funds for their kids metrocards to MTA workers so they can have free metrocards. I'm speaking from the perspective of the few kids that actually wanna learn, and whos parents don't wanna keep shelling out more and more money they don't have to the MTA, and thinks distribution of metrocards should be based on how far they are from the school AND their parents yearly income, and from someone who thinks we treat our senior citizens pretty crappy here, how they get screwed over pension wise and gave away some of the best years of their lives to make it better for us today. Before arguing about something I like to see it from both sides and then make my argument.

Well since the student metrocard program is the responsibility of the DOE and state, it doesn't matter what people think about the (NYCT) retirees who most likely move from the city and barely use the metrocard anyway. And there is only about 20000 of them compared to 585,000 students who ride everyday and try to use the card more than three times a day. And also use them on days there is no school like thanksgiving day, christmas vacation and winter recess next week. I see it everyday being a Station Agent. And I understand parents don't wanna spend more money, but If you look at these kids most of them walk around with Smart phones which cost $500, and $300 shoes. So apparently most parents have the money to pay for their kids fare to school everyday. I don't mean to sound harsh about the situation but as a kid my grandmother had to pay for my half fare student pass everyday, and I had to pay for school lunch as well. If parents can't afford to pay for their kids to go to school, then they need to send them to the zone school for the child.

Well since the student metrocard program is the responsibility of the DOE and state, it doesn't matter what people think about the (NYCT) retirees who most likely move from the city and barely use the metrocard anyway. And there is only about 20000 of them compared to 585,000 students who ride everyday and try to use the card more than three times a day. And also use them on days there is no school like thanksgiving day, christmas vacation and winter recess next week. I see it everyday being a Station Agent. And I understand parents don't wanna spend more money, but If you look at these kids most of them walk around with Smart phones which cost $500, and $300 shoes. So apparently most parents have the money to pay for their kids fare to school everyday. I don't mean to sound harsh about the situation but as a kid my grandmother had to pay for my half fare student pass everyday, and I had to pay for school lunch as well. If parents can't afford to pay for their kids to go to school, then they need to send them to the zone school for the child.

I don't think that because of the parents income their kids should have to settle for their usually crappy zoned school. I mean they give us the big ass book of high schools for a reason lol to pick the school we feel best fits what we want to pursue in life...that's the choice we make and should be able to stick with that choice...well the ones again that WANT to do something with their life. If you guys are so worried about us using our student metrocards outside of the times when were not supposed to use them...yet they always work on vacation weekdays...which IMO is kind of a scam because if I'm stupid enough to use my metrocard on Christmas Eve someone was stupid enough to leave it on knowing most kids don't think about consequences of their actions until their actions are done, and I get a summonse or w/e, cut em off and give those few kids that go to school during those times special metrocards or something.

Completely agreed! Also, I've seen an adult use a student pass, and luckily, a cop was there to stop him... Man are people cheap these days. Either pay the fare to get out or don't go anywhere at all - simple as that.

If people actually cared about their education they'd improve these "crappy zoned schools" and we wouldn't have to complaining about school metro cards. Look at Francis Lewis High School. Poor school is crowded to the point where you have students sitting outside classrooms just to learn! Fix the other schools!

If people actually cared about their education they'd improve these "crappy zoned schools" and we wouldn't have to complaining about school metro cards. Look at Francis Lewis High School. Poor school is crowded to the point where you have students sitting outside classrooms just to learn! Fix the other schools!

You mean if the city cared about my education they'd fix my crappy zoned school lol...it's full of kids who want to learn but we only get like 2 million a year...which I thought was alot but it really isn't. Some classes have to use the cafeteria because we don't have enough classrooms lol

If people actually cared about their education they'd improve these "crappy zoned schools" and we wouldn't have to complaining about school metro cards. Look at Francis Lewis High School. Poor school is crowded to the point where you have students sitting outside classrooms just to learn! Fix the other schools!

I agree, if they are going to public schools [not specialized ones Tech, Sty, etc], they should stay in schools in their area and at most to the neighboring schools. Improve those schools than to 'outsource' the kids to another borough.

I don't think that because of the parents income their kids should have to settle for their usually crappy zoned school. I mean they give us the big ass book of high schools for a reason lol to pick the school we feel best fits what we want to pursue in life...that's the choice we make and should be able to stick with that choice...well the ones again that WANT to do something with their life. If you guys are so worried about us using our student metrocards outside of the times when were not supposed to use them...yet they always work on vacation weekdays...which IMO is kind of a scam because if I'm stupid enough to use my metrocard on Christmas Eve someone was stupid enough to leave it on knowing most kids don't think about consequences of their actions until their actions are done, and I get a summonse or w/e, cut em off and give those few kids that go to school during those times special metrocards or something.

Well like I said if your parents can afford to send you to another school besides your zone school then you can go to any school you want. If they can't afford it, then they should send you to your zone school. This whole argument about the student passes the mayor is making directly deals with financial situations of the parents. That's his argument and it was also in your post as well. City children already go to school free. In places like charleston SC students parents have to pay 60 bucks a semester for their children to ride to school.

• Bloomburg gives away 99% of his $$$+$$$ he is saving for a 4th term as mayor to

• No transit cuts

• All discounts & free cards saved

• Fare goes back to $2

• If not possible, Bloomburg must give away all of his $$$ to

 

Since the other thread is locked: I did not check here on the off topic first because I do not think this discussion belongs here. This topic belongs in the subway section because the issue of this discussion is not off topic in my opinion.