Sweaty straphangers, steaming after 1981 fare hike, cope with hot cars and buses | Vault

New Yorkers just endured a brutal heat wave, and they sweated through a similar stretch of hot days back in early July 1981, but it was far harder to manage for straphangers of that era. That's because subway cars and buses were more prone to mechanical problems back then that could knock out air conditioning, and some didn't even have the luxury of cooling yet, resulting in commutes that tested the grit and resolve of even the hardiest of New Yorkers. Eyewitness News sent reporter Julie Eckhert, thermometer in hand as a storytelling prop, into the sizzling subway tunnels and broiling buses to document the rolling steam bath New York commuters were facing during this heat wave, 45 years ago this week. It was so bad, one commuter told Channel 7: "I'd like to be in a sauna bath, I think that would be a little cooler." That bad, huh? The unbearable commutes were much harder to tolerate because the Transit Authority had just socked straphangers with a fare hike earlier that week, making the deplorable rides all the more frustrating. The base far went from 60 to 75 cents. which, adjusted for inflation, is a little shy of the $3 fare commuters pay today to take the subway and buses. At least AC is far more reliable in 2026, save for the random hot cars that offer ample seating in exchange for a roasted ride. Below, watch the original Eyewitness News