Results tagged “Fare Hikes”

This morning, the MTA board met and passed Albany's proposed fare hikes and toll increases. Commuter rail fares will begin to increase on June 17; fares on subways and buses will change on June 28; bridge and tunnel tolls will increase on July 12. Fares are rising an average of 10%.

Since state lawmakers have recessed for Passover & Easter break without a deal for helping the MTA, the MTA has released the timetable for the approved fare hikes and service reductions, which range from 25% higher subway, bus and rail fares to eliminating bus lines. MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin tells the Daily News, "While we continue to hope that Albany will reach agreement on a comprehensive plan for the MTA, we have no choice but to move toward implementation of these cuts and fare increases."

After the MTA's Finance Committee voted yesterday to approve a package of severe fare increases (hello, $103 monthly unlimited Metrocard) and drastic service cuts (good-bye, W and Z lines; farewell, bus routes—see the PDF of NYC Transit changes here), MTA board member Allen Cappelli said, "There are 45 hours left before this disaster goes into effect." The MTA board is scheduled to vote on the fare hikes tomorrow.

A ride on the subway is fast becoming a luxury item: Today the MTA Finance Committee voted to approve a package of steep fare hikes that would increase the cost of a single subway or bus ride from $2 to $2.50. In addition to the base fare increase, the cost of a 30-day unlimited-ride MetroCard would go up to $103 (from $81), while a weekly unlimited-ride MetroCard would increase $6 to $31. The full MTA board will vote on the fare increases Wednesday, and the changes will likely go into effect in June unless legislators in Albany can come to terms on a bailout package for the MTA.

With the State Senate stalling on the MTA bailout plan, a plan that has the support of Governor Paterson and Assembly Speaker Silver, the MTA is holding an emergency board meeting to discuss its options. And many think that if there's no bailout, the board will vote to implement the severe fare hikes and service cuts first mentioned last November (monthly Metrocard going from $81 to $103 dollars, bus lines are cut) in order to deal with its deficit. Richard Ravitch, who offered a number of suggestions for MTA revenue, including tolling East River and Harlem River bridges (which appears to be a dealbreaker for many State Senators), told the Daily News, "The public has a right to know - and the board has the responsibility to figure out - what kind of system it can operate with the revenues they have. They have to start thinking about shrinking the system."

The MTA's favorite tune is unfortunately recorded on a broken record that keeps repeating itself: commuters need to pay more, but don't expect to see much in the way of improvements for it. The agency is saying that given the huge budget shortfall projected for next year, it's already contemplating another fare hike just three months after the last one went into effect. It would be nice if the next fare hike didn't leave odd amounts of unusable change stranded on Metrocards.

The MTA's various fare hikes for the NYC subways and buses, as well as its railroads, went into effect this weekend. Today, subway and bus base fares still cost $2, but higher-value pay-per-ride Metrocards have less of a bonus discount while weekly and monthly unlimited ride Metrocards are more expensive.

The MTA's various fare hikes are starting to go into effect next month (aka tomorrow). Tomorrow, Long Island Railroad and Metro-North fares are going up. Bridge and tunnel tolls are going up on March 16. And the doozy will be the NYC Transit subway and bus fare hikes which go into effect on Sunday, March 2. Expect tons of confused riders and weary MTA workers on Monday and for the next few weeks.

The board of the MTA voted this morning in favor of increasing the cost of multiple-ride Metrocards. According to NY1, the outcome of the vote was a foregone conclusion following the public agreement between Gov. Spitzer and Mayor Bloomberg that riders needed to pay more to ride subways and buses. The pair have effective control of ten of the 14 board members' votes.

Mayor Bloomberg continued his whirlwind tour through Asia yesterday with a stop in Bali, Indonesia to talk to United Nations officials about the global effects of climate change. This is after a foray to China, that brought to mind Ed Koch's Beijing inspiration for bike paths in NYC to The New York Times' Clyde Haberman. Like NYC, Bali was the victim of a devastating terrorist attack that killed and injured hundreds of people.

So much for halting the hike! Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Spitzer have both given their approval of the MTA's proposed 4-7% fare hikes for subway and bus riders. The base fare will remain $2, but the unlimited Metrocard prices will increase. The Mayor (from China apparently) said, "Based on the information that my staff and I have received and reviewed over the past few weeks, I am now satisfied that the MTA budget is a...

Our MTA Webinar lunch plans are frozen at the moment. We sort of wish the "technical difficulties" prompt was accompanied by a "signal problem" or "police activity" reference to complete the atmosphere. The MTA just released the new fare hikes for unlimited and pay-per-ride Metrocards. The base fare will remain at $2, though only 15% of the riding population buys the base fare. Update: We didn't see any questions or answers during the time...

With the MTA's vote whether to raise subway and bus fares coming in less than three weeks, speculation is running high about what will happen. Even though Governor Spitzer said that the base subway and bus fare will remain $2, unlimited Metrocard fares - which 85% of riders use - will rise. The MTA has insisted the fare hikes are necessary, given projected deficits and upcoming capital construction, but many elected officials believe that the...

The Daily News has been keeping score which MTA officials have actually been showing up to the meetings where the public gets to air its opinions about the proposed fare hikes. And now that the meetings are over, the News names the three MTA board members who were no shows: (pictured, from left to right) Andrew Saul (who is Vice Chairman of the Board), Donald Cecil, and Susan Metzger. And mind you, these are members...

Protests are expected over anticipated fare hikes for subway and bus rides, and the MTA is prepared to listen. The other day, MTA head Dale Hemmerdinger said "We're not deaf," in response to rider complaints about the boost in prices. Riders will get a chance to test that assertion tonight in Brooklyn, as hearings are held about a jump in fare hikes to $2.25 and a boost in weekly and monthly unlimited passes of...

Earlier this afternoon, an A/C power outage along the 7 line caused service to stop in both directions. Apparently one of the signals went out at 1:35PM, and the MTA wasn't completely sure when it would be fixed. Other parts of the 7 came back and now, thankfully, 7 service is back and running in time for the rush hour.

The MTA has announced the times of public hearings where the agency will discuss the impending bus and subway fare hike. There are eight meetings across the five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island. We've all heard about the two kinds of fare hikes - a traditional across-the-board hike and another hike that would give discounts during off-peak rides. The a single ride would be $2.25, up from the current $2. And the early mentioned off-peak fare was $1.50, but now the Daily News finds that the off-peak fare might be higher at $1.75.

The MTA is considering a few possibilities for upcoming bus and subway fare hikes in 2008 and 2010. The two ideas on the table at present are a traditional rate hike and a rate hike with an off-peak option - riders would get a discount if they use NYC mass transit during off-peak hours.

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a picture displaying the woes of cruising in a tacky limo on the streets of San Francisco.

Yesterday, MTA CEO and executive director Lee Sander took the case for subway and bus fare hikes to the people by standing at the Grand Central shuttle platform yesterday morning. The MTA has argued that with looming billion-dollar deficits, fare hikes, as well as agency cuts, are the only way for the MTA to stay afloat without trimming service. According to the NY Times, very few people stopped to talk to Sander who was handing out a leaflet called "The Fare Facts" which cited "growing pension and debt service costs" as why fares should go up.

During a board meeting to present the MTA's 2008-2011 financial plan, MTA executive director Lee Sander confirmed yesterday that, yes, fare and toll hikes would be needed in the future because of looming billion-dollar deficits - even in spite of a current billion dollar surplus. And though some politicians were quick to criticize potential hikes (no pol wants fare increases on their watch), the Straphangers Campaign's Gene Russianoff told the Times, "[The MTA has] good arguments, and I think they’re worth listening to. We’ve been complaining for a decade that there’s this debt bomb that’s going to go off, so it would be very hypocritical to say it will solve itself in 2009.”

If you take the Shuttle at Grand Central around 8AM on weekday morning, study this photograph and find this man - it's MTA CEO and Executive Director Lee Sander, and he'll be at the Shuttle platform tomorrow morning!

The MTA is having a board meeting today and the big topic is fare hikes. As has been the scuttlebutt since the weekend, the MTA will be discussing an "overall increase in fare and toll revenues of 6.5 percent," according to board members who spoke to the NY Times. How that translates into actual numbers is unclear, but it does means the base per-ride fares and unlimited Metrocard monthly and weekly fares would probably rise.

Well, there's nothing like having a barely-one-hour blackout on a sultry weekday to make you consider stocking up on flashlights, batteries, water, and maybe a Go Bag. Con Ed is still investigating the cause of yesterday's brief power failure to parts of the Bronx and Manhattan; Newsday reported "the blackout was caused when breakers opened at an Astoria substation and cut off power to stations servicing Yorkville and parts of the Bronx." It's unclear why the breakers were opened in the first place.

Yesterday, MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow revealed the 2007 $10 billion MTA budget, confirming that there will be no fare hikes in 2007 and 2009. But some transit advocates think that Kalikow's strategy of implementing hikes every other year (one is expected in 2008) is just delaying the inevitable given the crippling deficits expected. Beverly Dolinsky of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA told the Post, "[Kalikow is] putting it in the lap of the next administration. I don't know how they can say there aren't going to be any fare increases." All Gothamist wants for the holidays is a cage match between Kalikow and Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer over the state of the MTA.

The MTA board sources tell the Daily News that fare hikes in 2007 are unlikely for buses, subways, Metro-North, and the LIRR. Hooray - previously it was thought that a fare hike could come next September, but now you can thank the strong real estate economy for adding to the MTA's coffers.

If you were wondering how former mayor Rudy Giuliani feels after the thumpin' the Republicans took last week, wonder no more, because he's been facing it with the same, stubborn Rudy-vision that we all remember from his NYC mayoral years. The NY Times was on the scenefor a speech Giuliani made:

In his first public comments about last week’s Democratic sweep of Congress, Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former Republican mayor of New York City, who is a possible 2008 presidential candidate, said on Sunday that he did not view the election as a major rebuke to his party. But he said that Republicans “have to go back to your principles in figuring out how you react to something like this.”

Continue reading "Rudy, Denial is a River in Egypt"

Newsday has a good article looking at the transportation issues the next governor will deal with - the biggest being the MTA. The MTA, which already announced fare hikes for next year, faces insane budget deficits in the coming years: $905 million in 2008, $1.13 billion in 2009, $1.48 billion in 2010. The Straphangers' Campaign's Gene Russianoff says of the MTA, "They borrowed a ton of money to fix a system, and now the bill is coming due."