Everyone Will Suffer From MTA Fare Hikes

Flickr user [phil h]

In their latest piece about the proposed fare hikes from the MTA, the Times offers this bit of insight that may shock you: when the MTA faces a deficit, it's the riders who must pay to fill it. We thought double rainbows and Princess Leia would take care of everything, but it is now being reported that to close their $400 million budget gap, the MTA will be relying on the assumption that straphangers will pay up because they have no other choice. Surely you jest, Gray Lady!

The MTA will unveil the new plans next Monday, with proposals for things like "limited unlimited" cards and a $1 surcharge for new MetroCards. Gene Russianoff, staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, put it bluntly: "A fare hike is a fare hike is a fare hike. Across the board, people are going to experience higher costs for getting around town." And though some estimates say infrequent riders may feel the brunt of the costs, the Wall Street Journal argues the MTA may be punishing their best customers.

The "limited unlimited" MetroCard would be good for 90 rides over 30 days—which the average city courier could go through in less than a week. Couriers began favoring subways once the unlimited card was introduced in 1998, and ends up costing them about $.22 per ride. Courier services also encouraged subway use as insurance for bike messengers rose. And, as the MTA predicts, many services say they'll stick with the subway even in the face of fare hikes. Messenger service owner Adam Dally he "could buy the subway system in its entirety" for what insurance would cost for bike messengers.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on July 19, 2010 3:06 PM

Comments [rss]

walleye

1) Applying a cost for the card itself is a good idea. Many people toss their cards away when they're empty. A total waste. Perhaps it will go over better public relations wise if the MTA gives a bonus to people refilling cards?

2) The present situation once again indicates that all the elected officials and media that railed against congestion pricing are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Mark

Congestion pricing and tolls on east river crossings.

There. I fixed it.

dirty hipster

Great idea - will keep all the bridge and tunnel Manhattanites out of Brooklyn on the weekends.

Wza

Sounds simple enough, but they'll find a way to fuck that up too.

Even when the MTA had a surplus, they still cried poor.

Dick Nickel

[W]hen the MTA faces a deficit, it's the riders who must pay to fill it.

Captain Obvious pulls a Gothamist paycheck? Tell him I said hi.

Guest

against my own sanity, this is why i still practice sorcery. does it work? i don't know, and maybe not -- i'm into the act of sorcery; i never follow up on its results. *shrug*

ok, a dead rat's foot... shouldn't be hard to find in this city.

Ed

I suspect that the reason the city government has been promoting biking is that someone realized just how close the MTA was to collapse.

Not everyone can bike to work, and for commutes the MTA does have people over a barrel. But there is a lot of discretionary use of the subway on the weekends that people could cut back on, especially given the weekend service disruptions and the overcrowding on many lines on the weekends. Just get out of town on the weekend if you can afford it, or just stay in your neighborhood. Getting rid of the unlimited cards will encourage this.

gattopardo

Wouldn't couriers primarily be using the subway during business hours (i.e. not the peak rush hour times)? And wouldn't their using the subway be a net-positive to the city? The alternative is they are on bikes (dangerously flouting the law) or in cars/trucks.

Patrick

The MTA is the reason why you see more and more scooterists in NYC.

JGNY

Enough of the belly-aching about fare-hikes. So you are paying a little more a month for a card. If you didn't have public transportation you would be paying for a car, assume 300 a month, plus 200-300 a month in insurance then another 400 for a monthly spot, addd on meters, tickets, tolls you are approaching 1,000 a month for a car.

Homer2323

How about I have paid for my car, pay $87/month insurance, and park on the street. So your $1000/month isnt exactly true.

I know I know, its crazy to expect good service from the MTA. And it case you dont know, I already pay for the MTA. Its called NYS income tax.