N.Y. mayor rips, praises MTA
Mayor Bloomberg simultaneously criticizes and lauds the nation's largest transit agency in a radio interview.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) this weekend for stalling plans to take over the operation of seven bus lines serving Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
In the same interview, Bloomberg praised the restoration of full subway service over the Manhattan Bridge after an 18-year layoff.
According to the New York Daily News, the city spends $150 million a year to subsidize the seven bus lines, which serve about 400,000 commuters. The MTA's plan would upgrade service levels and relieve taxpayers, said Bloomberg.
The mayor also ripped the authority for spending $231 million on 120 new subway cars, which he says benefit only suburban commuters.
"Unfortunately, the MTA is showing more interest in improving life for suburban commuters than in helping these [bus] riders," Bloomberg said.
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