To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority heard it loud and clear at the recent fare hike hearings -- don't take away our unlimited MetroCard.

"I think it is safe to say there hasn't been a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the idea of a capped pass," said MTA Chairman & CEO Jay Walder.

There's also little support for any form of a hike. But the agency says fares will have to go up if unlimited cards remain on sale. The 30-day pass would go from $89 all the way to $104. Walder says riders who buy the 30-day are generally in a better position to absorb the hit.

"One of the points about the 30-day pass is that the median household income for the 30-day pass is nearly double the household incomes for some other products," Walder said.

Bringing the cost down from $104 would mean other kinds of fares. The weekly card would have to go up even more than planned to make up the difference. That, and any hike in the $2.25 base fare, would be especially tough on lower income riders. There is also the option of raising the price of the 30-day card to $99 instead of $104. But that would include a 90-ride cap.

Most monthly buyers don't come close to riding that much. But advocates say the MTA hasn't shared nearly enough to know what the best plan might be.

"What will it mean to cap the ride? Will it discourage people from buying the pass? Will more people move to pay-per-ride? Will ridership go down? I'd like to know the answers to those questions," said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign.

With the January fare increase coming so soon after this summer's service cuts, elected officials are echoing the call for more openness.

"When we discuss things like ridership and route reductions and the cuts that the MTA has made, I think it would have been nice to sit down and talk to the local elected officials and find out what lines and what impacts are going to be had by cutting those lines," said City Councilman Dan Halloran.

MTA board members tell NY1 they would like to learn more on the fare hike options. The full board meets again next week, and the proposals could be tweaked before they vote on a final plan on October 7.