Brooklynite Aims To Break Subway Record To Protest Fare Hike
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Stefanie Gray is about to make that MetroCard swipe worth every penny.
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"Well, I'm going to be riding all the trains," Gray said of her journey planned for Tuesday.
She means all the trains.
"Past all 468 stations in the New York City subway system," she told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman. "Doors opening, not getting out."
Then she'll backtrack on express trains.
Make no mistake, this is about getting attention. The 24-year-old Brooklyn resident works for the group Transportation Alternatives.
"Ultimately, it is a stunt," she said. "This is in support of our petition against the fare hike."
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A yet-to-be-decided fare hike plan is set to go into effect in March 2013. They're pushing Albany to stop it by increasing funding for the MTA.
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Nothing is written in stone yet, but MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota says he's concerned about the middle class commuter in the city.
He said flatly he wants to reduce as much as possible the impact on the 30-day and 7-day unlimited MetroCard price.
But that that would mean the base fare has to go up.
"That's what the numbers bear out, that you know, being able to to keep the discounted passes as low as possible, raising the base fare up 25 cents. No decision has been made yet, and no discussion has been that i've had with the board members," Lhota told WCBS 880 reporter Rich Lamb.
Lhota also pointed to hearings which must take place before anything happens.
"We want Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo to pay attention to downstate riders," Gray said.
Grey is not just going the ride the entire system, but she wants to break the current record.
"It was set in January 2010 by a group that did it in 22 hours and 56 minutes," she said.
She noted that, because of service cuts since then, there is no longer a V or W train. But she's says she'll have confidence, until there is word of signal problems ahead.
You can follow her journey at #stopthefarehike on Twitter.
