A People’s History of MTA Fare Hikes
In 1968, Brooklynite Jack Paul wrote to the Times to argue that “nobody pays to ride an elevator and nobody should pay to ride the subway,” especially because fares “deny equal access to competitive markets since, lacking the fare, the poor are limited to shops in their immediate neighborhood.” Hey, it was the 60s! Within a few years, the idea of free subway service would be advocated by those as high-profile as the Bronx Borough President.