Council rips transit boss

‘Fare hike? Fix it first!’

NYC Transit chief Andy Byford went hatin-hand to the City Council on Tuesday begging for more money for his cash-strapped subway system — only to be dressed down over pitiful service.

Byford was there to discuss new ways to raise money for the subways, including through congestion pricing, but when a pending fare hike came up, Councilman Donovan Richards hit the brakes.

“Should people receive a fare hike when service is horrible?” Richards (D-Queens) said. “To say we should do a fare hike when the product isn’t doing what it is supposed to do is poor judgment.”

Richards then compared city transit to an old clunker car. “Would you mark up the price on a lemon times five if the lemon can barely start?” he asked.

Byford has proposed cuts in service, cleaning and climate control in order to slash costs — but the proposals were barely discussed as councilmembers took pot shots over crowded bus lanes, toll-hike hearings and fare evasion.

Byford on Monday proposed sending “head office” workers — backed up by NYPD cops — to form a “blockade” preventing thieves from hopping turnstiles.

Reacting to the proposal on Tuesday, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said he was open to the idea.

“I think it’s important to do as much as we can to control entry into the subway system,” he said, noting he got his start as a transit cop.

The MTA expects to lose $215 million to farebeaters in 2018 alone.

Byford’s other plans include dialing back on administrative staff and employee overtime.

But MTA board member Charles Moerdler told The Post on Tuesday that “there are opportunities to make money and to save money without in any way hurting the riding public or the employees of the system.”

Moerdler suggested revamping the process for workers’-compensation claims, selling development rights to MTA-owned property, and streamlining its cumbersome procurement process.

The MTA board is expected to vote to hike fares from $2.75 to $3 early next year.