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Egads - the MTA must really be screwed: Their previous suggestions for monthly Metrocard fare hikes was $6, from $70 to $76, but now they're talking about making them $84. This is in addition to a couple other measures. Gothamist understands that it costs a lot of money to run and maintain the subways and buses. And even though we question the leadership, we do know that Albany hasn't been helping the MTA for the past few years. The fact that NY State isn't helping the MTA makes Gothamist crazy, because NYC's economy (and the MTA literally helps move it) does make New York State a political force. Yeah, yeah, there are upstate industries, but nothing like NYC. So, Governor Pataki, if you want Gothamist to take you seriously (and you're doing a crap job of that now), help out the MTA.
The proposed changes:
• Change MetroCard discount pricing to increase the price of the 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard to up to $24 and the 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard to up to $84. The base fare of $2 will remain unchanged.
• Increase MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North fares in order to achieve total fare revenue increases of 5% to as much as 8%. Individual fare increases may vary substantially depending upon ticket type.
• Increase crossing charges on all MTA bridges and tunnels by up to 50 cents in each direction for passenger vehicles, or by up to $1 where tolls are collected in one direction only, and establish a $1 monthly E-ZPass account fee, and add changes to the toll rates for other vehicles.
• Close 49 full-time MTA New York City Transit subway station booths, and 115 part-time booths. Each station will continue to have at least one booth staffed full-time.
• Increase MTA New York City Transit express bus fares to up to $6.
• Terminate G subway service at the Court Square station at all times.
Here's the MTA's press release (PDF) about the fare hikes and public hearings to discuss them (Gothamist would like to say the MTA does a really good job of burying their press releases). Also, looking at the MTA's budget proposal for 2005 is good for a laugh.
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I love these stupid hearings they have. They serve no purpose other than to let the people think they have a voice when in-fact the decisions have already been made. STUPID!!!!
The G train in the gangsta lean again.
Sigh.
This is has got me thinking of doing some full time turnstile jumping. What's cheaper in the long run - paying 84/mo. or occasionally getting a fine? ANyone know how much a turnstile jumping fine is?
Can't anybody do anything to help reform the MTA? I feel like it's in such terrible shape these days. No one from there has ever really answered State Comptroller Hevesi and City Comptroller Thompson's revelations about the secret set of books or explained how the surplus turned into a huge deficit.
And with the Unlimited Metrocard up to $84, you're barely saving. Right now at $70, if you only take the subway back and forth to work 22 days out of a month, it's $1.60/ride. With the fare hike it's now up to $1.90/ride. Grr.
This is all 'cause MoMA increased their admissions price to 20 bucks. MTA is just followin' their lead. Don't let anyone tell you different.
Geeeez, an extra $168 a year! How will we ever afford the restaurants in Gothamist Food?!!
Actually - 5 days a week x 2 rides ($4.00) x 4 weeks = $80 - the new monthly costs $6 more - WHAT ON EARTH IS THE INCENTIVE TO BUY A MONTHLY CARD NOW????? Jen, quit being so understanding of the MTA! if they marketed themselves better and used a better fare system, even more people would take the train. It's things like fare hikes and playing 3-card-monte with the N&R lines that piss people off. It's all avoidable. I suggest you start a petition to keep the monthly a true bargin.
I think its the state and city's fault. They really need to start giving them more funding as Jen said. Why don't they just start tolling all the bridges into Manhattan? Send the extra revenue from that to the MTA. Give a discount to commercial vehicles. Less people driving into the city, money from the bridges, and extra revenue from the increase in people riding the trains and buses. Whatever happened to that plan anyway?
A few small questions. Answer in essay form. Neatness counts. Cite your sources:
1. What, right now, is the justification for believing any budget projection offered by the MTA, ever again?
2. Who, precisely, got fired and prosecuted for committing accounting fraud by keeping a second set of books? What reforms were put into place to prevent such a thing from happening again?
3. Given the answers to questions 1 and 2, what is the motivation of the New York State or Federal government to offer any more funding to the MTA, ever?
Being a nerd, I used Excel to figure out how much a commuter would pay if he or she pays $4 a day to use MTA transit on non-holiday weekdays (using stock market holidays if you must know, there aren't a lot.)
The total: $1,008
The cost of buying 12 30 day Metrocards at the new $84 rate: $1,008.
So basically, if you use the MTA only to commute, there is no savings. The only people who will realize a savings are people who ride on weekends or more than twice a day on a regular basis. This is a much smaller demographic than before.
Jen, you are very, very kind, but I must correct you.
There are no industries upstate.
Trust me, I've been there (unless you count crumbling factories and infrastructure an industry).
They could stop wasting money on anti-graffiti staff and equipment.
the city should take over the operation of the MTA and get rid of all the management. it should be run with the transparency of a public institution.
Just remember, according to the MTA budget forecast by 2007 interest on debts and pensions for those who cashed in and moved out will equal 50 percent of operating revenue. They can use the other half of your fare to run the buses and trains. There are consequences to re-electing those who promise something for nothing and, in the short run, deliver. The entire state legislature and the Governor should be fired.
So hey why doesn't everybody buy a year's worth of mothly metrocards before the pay hike? I mean the machine's will still accept it as long as they aren't expired right?