New York subway stop names for sale?

NEW YORK (AFP) - "Board at Sony Times Square and take the Number 6 train to Nike Grand Central" -- that's what New York subway riders may hear in the future if a new funding idea gets the green light.

According to The New York Times, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which manages public transport in the New York region, is seeking proposals from marketing companies to develop sponsorship opportunities -- and they're not ruling out the idea of selling station naming rights.

"It's our job to figure out other ways to add revenue," Katherine Lapp, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's executive director, told the Times. "Every dollar we get from these types of sources is one dollar more we don't have to take in fares or tolls."

Reactions from riders varied. East Village resident Wesley Hatan called the idea "insane."

"It's a stepping stone," he told the Times. "They'll get us used to branded subways, and next will be 'the Statue of Liberty, brought to you by Microsoft.'"