Gothamist: Bloomberg Criticizes MTA Over Fare HIke

GOP

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:39:07 -0500

MTA workers move like Jen on Hells Kitchen.

BackStJoe

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:40:25 -0500

S'funny...I know someone who works for the MTA. He works two jobs, and tells us how he sleeps most of his time at the 'TA. He actually complains on days when they make him do something. The MTA needs to clean house, unions or no.

Spiritof76

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:21:40 -0500

Thank you, TWU.

Think twice

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:22:08 -0500

Privatize it.

SimonLok

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:17:38 -0500

i dont think anyone is excluding management. they should fire as much of those layers as possible. its just that they cant fire the union guys even when they have no work for them, that not right and we all have to pay for it (and for years down the line with the long term benefits)

zodak

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:57:10 -0500

some of you clowns think like the mta, you blame the workers & the unions because there are a lot of them & that's what you clowns see every day. when in fact the executives are all overpaid & they are wasting money on things that are not transit related. the things you don't see, that's where the waste is happening.

Steven

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:53:49 -0500

People in NYC should be glad the subways are still not distance based fare unlike the commuter railroads - MN and LIRR. A monthy MN pass from Yonkers to GCT costs $170. Yonkers is just 15 miles from GCT as well.

JenChungsBra

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:45:39 -0500

Bloomberg said that with the MTA's $10 billion budget it should be able to cut five percent somewhere without affecting service. Has a truer statement ever been spoken?

SP

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:50 -0500

"your swipe gets taken by the turnstile" do you even ride the subway?

thenebula

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:33:08 -0500

Fire everyone and have no employees at stations? Great idea...get back to me when the MVMs are all busted, your swipe gets taken by the turnstile, and everyone jumps the turnstiles.

kissel

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:27:40 -0500

[7] because long term labor costs are the biggest piece of their budget pie... they should be expanding the system and at the same time modernizing and automating it.

Roquentin

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:22:46 -0500

He brings up a good point in that Albany takes in tax revenue from NYC and doesn't give it back. That's been a gripe Bloomberg's had for a while, made worse by them nixing his congestion pricing plan. I partially blame the 2nd Avenue line and the 7 extension which isn't going to be completed either apparently. They're money pits. They've tried building the 2nd avenue line and abandoned it several times. They sink millions of dollars into it, then times get hard and they abandon it. Tons of money gets spent and not a single person gets any good out of it. Why are labor costs the only thing people complain about?

Gothamist_Cynic

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:19:47 -0500

also don't forget to fire the MTA execs with balloon salaries.

kissel

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:12:18 -0500

one of the biggest problems with the MTA aside from total mismanagement is the unionized labor making large salaries and doing little for them (track workers aside) I agree with the [4] fire all booth agents, automate the trains completely, have an NYPD (whose officers seem to have a lot of time on their hands to chat on cell phones) on the trains for security, etc. The faster you get rid of people with fat lifetime pensions and benefits the more money there will be.

evidiot

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:04:49 -0500

@Kojak: This isn't just about who can afford a fare hike. It's about the fact that the MTA IS WASTING OUR MONEY. There is so much ridiculous waste in their organization, and the average subway rider sees it every day. So, while service gets worse, construction projects get cut, and we wait longer for trains, they ask for more money from riders like us when they could save just as much money if they got rid of their bloated bureaucracy. Perfect example: fire ALL the "token booth agents," who make $50K+ a year to sit on their asses and do NOTHING. Find four other cost-saving measures like that, and you've closed half the budget gap.

bxbrian

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:03:16 -0500

instead of going whole hog and privatizing, let's just actually fucking fire some people

agdthefan

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:58:29 -0500

What's with the fare is; they can't manage the money they get now. More money will just be pissed away as well. They need to improve their financial practices, no other business gets bailed out everytime they fuck up year in and year out. The MTA makes millions. Daily. They spend like drunken sailors at port, nothing goes towards projects or improvements (I don't care what anyone says, I've been riding the trains for years, AC was the only improvement and that was a decade ago), therefore there should be money left. Though it's just great to see another politician who won't do a damn thing, pretend they care and pretend they think it's wrong. I'd pay $12 a ride if the service was good, but for what we get, I think $2+ is a gross overestimation of the services' worth.

Kojak

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:50:14 -0500

Whats with the complaining? The base fare hasn't been increased in years and obviously is well behind inflation and minimum wage increases. I agree that its not run as well as in other cities/countries, but with increased costs, not to mention all the capital projects in progress, the bill has to be spread out somehow. Its a 25 cent increase per ride correct? If you can't afford that, panhandle in front of the station for 10 minutes and you'll more than make up for the hike.