MADISON, Wis. -- The battle over Metro bus fares is continuing after Madison's mayor told a city commission to go back to the table.

TALKBACK: What Do You Think?

The Transit and Parking Commission vetoed a city-backed Metro bus fare hike Tuesday night, but the mayor said the commission offered no alternative for a looming Metro deficit.

The mayor claimed the future of the Metro bus system is at stake. He said he wants the commission to reconsider its vote -- or possibly face being overridden by the Madison Common Council.

However, some commission members aren't budging. They said they're not convinced there will be a deficit or the need to burden people with a bus fare hike.

For people like Jessica Tucker, Madison Metro is a daily necessity.

"I probably use the bus at least six times a day to be honest, during the week," Tucker said.

The 19-year-old said she takes the bus everywhere -- to stores, work and school.

As an MATC student, Tucker gets a free bus pass. But when that runs out next month, she'll be on the hook for bus fare -- and any bus fare hike -- which is still alive despite Tuesday's vote by the Transit and Parking Commission, or TPC.

On a 7-2 vote, the TCP rejected a prior Madison Common Council plan to hike fares by 50 cents.

The fare increase that was proposed for March won't be going into effect," said Madison Metro Marketing Manager Mick Rusch.

Madison Metro said the vote is the final say on the matter, but late Wednesday the mayor said that's not the case.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told WISC-TV that the Common Council could impose a fare increase over the objections of the TPC.

That's according to a new city attorney memo in response to questions about who has what authority.

The memo says: "The TPC may decline to raise fares to close the expected 2009 gap."

But it goes on to say, "The TPC (fare) decision may be appealed to the Common Council, which may reverse or modify the decision."

And the mayor said that's likely what the Common Council will do if they TPC doesn't reverse its decision next month and increase Metro fares or cut service to cover a projected deficit.

"What I'm insisting they do now in January is revisit their decision, contend with the hard choices that they're going to have to make if they don't raise fares, and my hope is that they'll reconsider," Cieslewicz said. "The Transit and Parking Commission did not deal with the consequences of not raising fares. They need to confront that."

But Alder Brian Solomon, a member of the commission, said it's not at all clear right now that there will be a big budget deficit next year. And he said a fare hike could even make things worse, according to a new national bus research study.

He said he wants to eliminate the mayor's new bus initiatives, like expanding service, and sit tight. Others on the commission said they don't want to revisit the fare hike either.

"Isn't that what we did last night?" said commission member and Alder Robbie Webber. "I think it's clear where seven people stand."

The next commission meeting is set for mid-January.