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The MTA's scary financial situation has now given birth to a Daily News cover broadcasting a $3 fare hike possibility! Of course, it's only a possibility--that's probably why it shares space with news that the Obama daughters were invited to appear on Hannah Montana.
However, the Straphangers Campaign's Gene Russianoff tells the News if there's no state bailout, "We could be looking at the mother of all fare hikes. This whopping increase would likely be coupled with very serious service cuts. In plain English, it could be lots more out of your pocket for the joy of more crowding, longer waits and less reliable service." Yeah--even more crowding, waits, and less reliable service--chew on that!
The subway and bus fare is being eyed because its fare hasn't been raised since 2003 (see this chart from the News--and yes, unlimited Metrocards and Metrocard discounts have changed). As for reaction from Mayor Bloomberg, he said, "It is a state agency... I have four votes on [the MTA board], but, you know, fundamentally, the governor has to come up with a plan, and anything we can do to help, short of putting in money, which we don't have, we'll be happy to do." Keep in mind, Bloomberg recently announced a possible 15% income tax hike.
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When is it finally time to open the (real) books on an already heavily subsidized agency with daily ridership in the millions?
You really didn't see a $1b shortfall coming, MTA?
How do you say totally f*cked?
A-8
You know eventually you price your customers (and even residents) out of the market, which then just leads to more shortfalls. It's seriously getting to the point that if all these proposed increases happen, along with the hikes in rents, utilities, consumables, etc that we are approaching a level where people simply cannot pay it no matter how much the state/city needs the money. Once everyone has to apply for unemployment and welfare because they cannot afford to pay all these fees, and lose their jobs because they can't get to work, (at the expense of all the BLOAT that will remain in the government) then let them think again about how to get more and more money. You can't get blood from a turnip my southern grandmother used to say.
From the movie "Network"
I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.
We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!
We all know things are bad -- worse than bad -- they're crazy.
It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone."
Well, I'm not going to leave you alone.
I want you to get mad!
I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street.
All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.
You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, goddammit! My life has value!"
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,
"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"
Isn't this the same crap as the last time? The MTA always starts out with a ridiculously scary sounding fare hike. Then, they miraculously find half of the deficit somewhere in their books so now the fare hike only has to be $0.25 instead of $1.00. And everyone is so relieved that it's not as bad as it could have been. They are way too predictable.
I took this quote from Steven...Oct. 23rd on another thread here about fare hikes because I always ask the same question:
Let's see/understand the logic here
More riders = complaining about not enough money to improve the infrastructure and add service.
Less riders = still complaining about not enough money.
Could someone tell me when the MTA hasn't complained about their revenue?
Nicely put #4!
Looks like I better start putting more muscle on my legs.
I won't be spending an extra ~$450 a year.
I'd rather walk. Good for my health anyway.
Most other cities have distanced-based fares. Here are some sample fare rates from around the world, in ascending order:
Moscow: $0.33 - $0.70
Tokyo: $1.35 - $3.00
Madrid: €1.00 - 1.90 ($1.25 - $2.50 USD)
Washington D.C.: $1.65 - $4.50
Boston: $2.00
Chicago: $2.00
Paris: €1.60 ($2.00 USD)
London: £1,50 min ($3.00 USD)
$3.00 doesn't seem to me like much to get from Far Rockaway to the North Bronx - it's like half of what the gas alone would cost you to drive that far. Then again, looking at this list, NYC's fares seem to be about right.
What I would like to see is even steeper discounts for regular users. Make it $3.00 for a single ride, $2.50 each if you buy ten rides, $20 for a week pass, and $50 for a monthly pass (max $1.25/ride for a month with 20 work days). Put the fare increases on the tourists and occasional users, not the everyday commuters.
bring back the two fare zone. ouch, that hurts.
and charge tourists for the SI Ferry.
Cut fares and double tolls.
I say all commuters need to take a stand against the MTA. There should be a day where nobody pays the fare. Vehicles should go right through the tolls, don't swipe your metro card on the subways and buses, don't give your tickets to the conductors on the LIRR and Metro North.
Based on a $3 fare card with the number of fares my family incurs per month we would breakeven with a $204 / month unlimited fare card. Very sick.
http://rooseveltisland360.blogspot.com/2008/11/3-fare-card-204-break-even-monthly-card.html
If the subway fare goes up to $3 and gas prices stay about the same, I'm just going to drive to work. Bye, bye subway system.
Why can't we, the riders, have a one day strike to protest the shenanigans of the MTA? One day where we all refuse to ride and refuse to hoodwinked by the MTA.
"What I would like to see is even steeper discounts for regular users. ... Put the fare increases on the tourists and occasional users, not the everyday commuters."
But this what Mike doesn't want. His beloved tourists get the cheap fare while the monthly riders pay more.
So I agree with you, I think, except that what you propose would also disproportionately hit the poor who cannot afford to lay out for monthly passes.
I like to see tourists charged $20 a ride!
They don't know how to effectively run a mass transit system, they don't know how to effectively manage a revenue shortfall and they don't know how to effectively communicate with a very smart, sophisticated consumer of their service. The problem was never money, it was always them.
@IvoryJive
I think its a 3 dollar hike, not a 3 dollar fare.
Don't worry, when Obama is in he will make everything FREE and force the rich people to pay.
just get up an hour earlier and walk to work! that'll work off the calories in the Chipotle burrito you had for lunch. i bet that burrito was FREE! just like the blow, the hookers, and the toilet paper we will get for FREE once Obama takes over.
the best part is that people like HUGO will pay for it. i can't wait.
Because HUGO MEGO is rich people.
+1 fare strike.
Ride a bike!