Sen. Charles Schumer is asking Congress to renew federal mass transit tax benefits.

Mass transit advocates and Schumer were in Mineola to renew the call for the full transit benefits.

The mass transit tax benefit had allowed riders to pay for the first $245 worth of their commuting costs using pre-tax dollars. But when the benefit expired, the pre-tax savings dropped to $130.

Sen. Schumer says under a package of bills, Long Island Rail Road riders would be able to use up to $250 worth of pre-tax dollars for their expenses and the benefit would be extended to 2014 costs retroactively.

Mark Epstein, of the LIRR Commuter Council, says without this tax break, rail commuters are being unfairly singled out because drivers are still allowed to set aside $250 a month to cover the cost to park their cars.

"We want to promote mass transit. We should not be offering a bigger tax incentive to people who drive and park in garages than we do to people who use mass transportation," said Epstein.

Sen. Schumer says the measure has already passed the Senate Finance Committee. In a statement to News 12, Rep. Peter King (R - Seaford) says at no cost to the federal government, "restoring this benefit is a common sense solution."

Congressman-elect Lee Zeldin says he also supports this measure.