A lot of stuff MTA says to me makes me laugh, but in a sad way, because sometimes I think they actually believe the stuff that comes out of their mouth.

But the one that made me spit coffee out my nose the other day is when MTA legal insisted that it was continuing to litigate against StationStops because to not do so would be “irresponsible to the public”.

Yes, that’s right, MTA has started arguing that their actions are in the public interest.

Why? Well, because MTA never has any money, and the taxpayers have to bail them out because they are so horrendously mismanaged – so when they go out and find a buck of their own out on the street somewhere – well, they are being ‘responsible’ to the public by finding some new money!

And of course, since MTA funds are so carefully accounted, well, EVERY PENNY that marketing brings in will be one less penny for taxpayers at the next bailout – right?

There are so many reasons that this is ridiculous that I cannot even think of where to start.

1. The public is opposed to MTA’s actions against StationStops

The biggest and most obvious reason this is completely disingenuous is that MTA has received absolutely nothing but NEGATIVE public support for their actions against StationStops.

I send the updates on news coverage to MTA legal & marketing regularly- they don’t respond, they don’t talk about it, they just pretend it doesn’t exist.

If they were acting in the public’s best interest, they would recognize that making false copyright infringement claims against small businesses for $170 (how much does their LAWYER get paid for 6 weeks of this?) is not on anyone’s ‘todo’ list for MTA.

This is especially the case since Councilwoman Brewer has requested they give the data away for free – Councilwoman Brewer is elected to represent ‘The Public’.

2. Small Business Makes Money, Jobs, and Passengers – MTA wastes money.

Right now, we are in a historic recession, with NYC in the depths of it. MTA’s contribution to ‘the public’ has been fare hikes, service retraction and and tax bailouts in the tens of millions of dollars!

Meanwhile, StationStops is a small business. Its not profitable (thanks to MTA thats pretty much guaranteed this year), but it takes in revenue, PAYS taxes (not spends them), and MARKETS MTA services and adds value to its ridership for FREE. Also – it creates a JOB – mine – maybe more if they would stand out of my way.

MTA does not need lawyers getting paid more money then they are bringing in and not only shutting down but DISCOURAGING many other small businesses – small business is what is going to get us out of this recession – not MTA licensing fees – those are going down the MTA cash toilet with every other dollar they can get their hands on.

3. Their actions resulting in FEWER mobile services for passengers and NO licensing fees for data schedules.

To date, neither MTA nor any developer I have spoke with been able to identify for me a mobile developer who has signed the data license with MTA.

MTA insists that ‘many’ have, but will not say who.

They gave me a name in the past, but that developer does not have a data license, they have a map license. Different license.

So, in terms of the data license, MTA is both litigating mobile developers out of their willingness to create their own apps, while doing nothing to actually *sell* data licenses.

Again, no mobile developer I know of is interested in signing a draconian contract with a partner now infamous for pursuing litigation with its potential licensees at their first request for term negotiation.

4. Their copyright claims are false and misleading

This one speaks for itself.

Footnote on MTA’s ’semi-public’ status.

Dealing with MTA is fun, because they switch back and forth between being a ‘private’ company and a ‘public’ one depending on which best suits their argument at the time.

At one point, when I mentioned they were distributing ‘public’ information, they insisted they were a ‘private’ company.

Now they insist that their behavior with StationStops is on behalf of ‘the public’.

Convenient, eh?