“The MTA continues to deflect responsibility instead of addressing the systemic issues that plague its operations. Come January, commuters are once again being told to shoulder the burden of fare hikes while fare evasion, administrative bloat and chronic cost overruns continue without consequence and with no sign of being addressed. Families cannot afford these increases on top of the affordability crisis in New York, it’s as simple as that. The public comment period did little more than provide the appearance of transparency when we all knew what the outcome would be. The MTA has the revenue to operate efficiently, yet it chooses to raise costs selfishly and unnecessarily. Leadership must confront its own failures and stop passing the bill to the public.”