Amid talk of a financial crunch beginning in 2008, the MTA failed to save millions of dollars this summer by buying fuel before prices soared, according to the New York Daily News.

Though the Metropolitan Transit Authority set aside $150 million in July to buy fuel for the next two years, staffers failed to realize that a key contract with a fuel provider was expiring. By the time they did, it was too late to lock-in again.

The MTA itself concedes it would have saved at least $12 million dollars, though that number is likely much higher in reality since it does not account for a recent surge in fuel prices.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) spoke out against the mistake, saying that "It looks like MTA lost millions of dollars in savings by not being light enough on their feet. That money could have been used to save the fare, and we'll be asking the MTA to explain how this happened."