DUANE STILL PUSHING ACCESS-A-RIDE BILL

the mta may have nixed the access-a-ride fare hike proposal from its "doomsday budget" approved by the board on march 25, but state sen. tom duane is still pushing for his bill-sponsored in the assembly by micah kellner-that prevents transit authorities from charging disabled riders to pay a higher rate than standard mass transit riders. "assembly member micah kellner and i are pleased that the mta appears to have heeded our call and abandoned its inequitable hike on nyc transit access-a-ride fares," duane said in a statement. "it is equally unjust, however, that in buffalo, the niagara frontier transportation authority charges disabled paratransit users double the usual fare, and that in albany, the capital district transportation authority charges them nearly 50 percent more. clearly, more work needs to be done."