By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The MTA will not vote next week on whether to revoke free student MetroCards, officials said.
MTA Chairman Jay Walder announced the decision after meeting with students on Wednesday, the New York Post reported.
The issue is still on the table, however, and the agency could still approve the plan to cut agency costs before school starts up again.
Students are outraged at the plan to cut their free rides, which is part of an overall MTA doomsday budget that cuts service to fill a widening budget gap.
"Our education cannot be put on hold because of budget issues," Valerie Bynaar, 14, a student at A. Philip Randolph High School in Harlem, told the Post.
Students vowed to pressure state and city lawmakers to keep rides free for them.
"We'd like to have as much time as possible for discussions with the state and city and hopefully find a way through this difficult situation," Walder said, according to the Daily News. "Our goal is to have free MetroCards for the student."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, however, said the city has no money to spare to give to the MTA.
Under the MTA's plan, students would pay half fares starting this September and full fares the following September, the News reported.
