City Students Urge MTA To Keep Free MetroCards
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Dozens of city high school students held a rally in Harlem this weekend to voice their outrage over the MTA's plan to eliminate their free MetroCards.
Members of the Patchwork of Young Leaders Society organized the event Saturday, and say the cuts will make it harder for them to go to class.
"It will get students to not go to school. We need motivation for our students to keep on going," said one rally participant.
"You shouldn't have to pay for your education to become something. It's going to increase the rate in dropouts," said another rally participant.
If the plan goes through, more than half a million students would pay full transit fares by 2011.
It's among a series of MTA proposals to bridge a nearly $400 million budget gap.
Other plans include eliminating some subway and bus lines and reducing service during peak hours.