Straphangers' long engagement with the MTA and transit budget issues made the group sensitive, with ridership and the economy growing, to the possibility of a growing TA budget surplus. With the suspicion confirmed, the organization's media expertise enabled it to break the story on a Daily News front page in October. Thereafter, the issue generated public discussion that public officials could not ignore or, in the case of Council Speaker Peter Vallone, were positively attracted to.

Transit officials' fumbling over the issue became an MTA public relations debacle, fueling media interest and editorial demands that the surplus be devoted to better transit surplus and rider incentives.

During the debate, tribute to Straphangers' influence on transit affairs came in the form of mimicry -- the Daily News launched a fax-the-Governor campaign, while Vallone deployed staff to leaflet subway riders.

Such tactics have served rider interests well. As Straphangers Campaign attorney Gene Russianoff said at the Governor's press conference today, "If we've learned anything in two decades of advocacy, it is that the fate and future of the subways and buses rests in the hands of the people who use them. Riders deserve the biggest thanks for winning transit passes."

See information related to this article:

• Click here to see more on the fare story with "Looking Ahead: NYC Transit Renaissance?"