Gene Russianoff, Staff Attorney for the Straphangers Campaign

Sadly, the fare will go up at the end of 2012. That's the MTA plan. Last time, in December 2010, the 30-day unlimited MetroCard went up 17 percent. If that happens again, be prepared for a $122 30-day card. It's a good time to be in the 1 percent.

There will be some good news for long-suffering bus riders: You will soon be able to use your cell or smart phone to tell how far your bus is from your stop in real time. A new "Bus Time" program goes Staten Island-wide in January 2012, and then around the city.

"Poetry in Motion," the subway car ads featuring works from Shakespeare to Frost, will return from retirement. You may get stuck in a subway tunnel, but it will be a chance to catch up on Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson.