By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Straphangers will have to endure yet another round of fare hikes and service cuts unless the next governor agrees to increase the MTA's budget, a new report claims.
"Without new sources of revenue, riders face more severe service cuts and fare hikes in the future," the report by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy and Transportation Alternatives insists.
The organizations issued the report to implore the gubernatorial candidates to get serious about addressing the Authority's budget woes, which include $31 billion in debt.
To address the problem, the authors recommend restoring $160 million in state funding, which was removed from the MTA budget last year, and seeking high levels of federal funds.
The report comes as riders brace for a slew of whopping fare increases, which go into effect December 30th.
The fare hikes, including one that will raise the cost of an unlimited monthly MetroCard from $89 to $104, have infuriated straphangers, who voiced their anger during public hearings last month.
New York Attorney General and frontrunner in the upcoming gubernatorial election, Andrew Cuomo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the MTA declined to remark on the report.
