The MTA Gives Many Reasons To Be Pissy

Gothamist usually loves the MTA. We love riding the subway because it's still the fastest and most cost-efficient way to get places - plus it's an experience. And we love taking the bus when we have the time, because we get to experience NYC almost like a tourist does in a tour bus. But it's when we hear about things like the MTA spending over $800,000 to find savings and then we go crazy. More power to Booz Allen Hamilton for being able to charge the MTA that much money (clearly the suckers born every minute now work at the MTA) but we totally agree with the Straphangers' Gene Russianoff, in comments to the NY Times, on this one:

"Most people scratch their heads and wonder why the M.T.A. isn't more efficient. It looks like an awful lot of money to evaluate administrative savings. But the M.T.A. is an $8 billion agency, and there are undoubtedly savings to be found. I think there are a lot of people who would offer them free suggestions."

Sure, sure, the MTA probably needs the words of a name brand consulting firm to make their cockamamie ideas float, but we'd also like the MTA to find problems like gaping holes in the subway stations, as they did last night in Brooklyn. If the MTA management didn't seem so assy about everything, people wouldn't be this annoyed. New Yorkers live for phrases like "4/5/6 service is out" and "A and C trains will be out for 3-5 years" and "MTA is spending over $800K to save" that just aggravate and don't totally compute.

And an addition to sales tax to help fund the MTA? (NY's sales tax was supposed to go down from 8.625% to 8.250%, but the commuter tax would make it 8.375%.) Grr, Gothamist acknowledges the desperate need to fund the MTA, but aren't there any more solutions? The Mayor supports the Albany-backed plan, Pataki thinks there could have been other ideas, and the Democratic mayoral candidates are gleefully seizing on the issue, saying it's bad mojo. Man, we really hate Albany.

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By Jen Chung in News on March 30, 2005 9:12 AM

Comments [rss]

grandzu

Whats the deal with the MTA fee in our ConEd bill?

Just more money going in the top peoples pockets.

grandzu

Whats the deal with the MTA fee on our ConEdison electirc bill?

Just more money going in the top peoples pockets.

dhex

ahh, the wonders of never having to worry about competition or comeuppance.

it must be wonderful to be a bureaucrat. living off the sweat of people who work for a living, having an ironclad pension and healthcare, nice cars, guaranteed raises...nothing ever tied to performance.

DDT

Why does the MTA need marketing? It's not like there are any other options (well I suppose cabs, but really are they that much of a threat to the old underground?)

I seem to recall a year or two ago the MTA doing a marketing campaign on the trains. So I can ride the train to work and think, "Hmmm, I was going to walk the seven miles home, but thanks to that ad I think I'll ride the subway again!"

Sorry, had to rant.

W

I can't get too upset about a sales tax. Oddly enough, where I came from (Oklahoma), the sales tax is pretty close to if not higher than here (in one town it's 10%). And generally the reason for that is to subsidize some business in an attempt to get them to build a big factory, which they do only to close it in 5-10 years to move to some other state that's offered more incentives. So a sales tax that would support something already in existence, in no danger of relocating, and in dire need of funding would not be so bad. Of course, it would be better if you could actually trust the MTA not to do stupid things with the money.

tien

but joe, then what would those consultants do?!?

joe

Not to beat a dead horse but wouldn't it have been cheaper for the MTA to first read the State Comptroller's report issued last October? They could start by getting rid of several hundred employees in marketing and legal services. That would save tens of millions of dollars per year without affecting service. The various entities (NYCT, LIRR, MetroNorth, etc.) have their own administrative staff for finance, HR, purchasing, etc. Eliminating that duplication would also save tens of millions per year without affecting service.

Noel Hidalgo

don't be mad with albany in general. it's the freakin republicans in the state senate that keep tweaking with MTA's funding. if it wasn't for the assembly leadership we would have a brand new MTA tax.

toyochin

Silly MTA.

I hope they serious consider TV monitors and moving ads. I know some of y'all hate the idea, but hey, it's another revenue source. And with that extra money, they can spend the extra cash on better consultants save even more money! Yay!

bootsy

More reasons to be pissy at the MTA Board: their reported support for the Jets' stadium plan because they think it's "better" for the "community." HONESTLY! Let's shut these turd-Os DOWN!

Brian Van Nieuwenhoven

Sales tax is a good thing. Unlike other taxes, sales tax charges all those tourists who visit our fine city as well as the citizens. With the dollar being weak right now, tourism and tourist spending is very strong, so this is a good idea right now. Yes, it's more we have to pay for our own purchases, but we pay less of a share in the long run.

As for the consulting fees, well, they seem reasonable as long as measurable system improvements and efficiencies are achieved based on their work. If the "consultants" just kinda walked around for a while and gave a report where they recommended something obvious ("Keep repairing the tracks" or "You need more safety"), then it's a sham. However, if they actually said something useful, even a small operating change could save millions in the years to come - which makes the consulting fees more than worth it.