Yellow cab fleet owners would like more money, please. They're asking for a 19% fare increase, on top of an increased base rate—meaning you would rack up a $3 bill before the vehicle was even put into drive. According to the Daily News, to put it in passenger terms, a 5-mile cab ride (which they describe as a trip to Times Square from the Financial District) would jump from $12 to $15. more ›

A cab driver was "slugged" and robbed after he—gasp—asked his fares for payment. According to the Post's NYPD Blotter, the driver had taken three men from West 41st and Sixth Avenue to Second Avenue and East 35th Street: "[All] three passengers got out without paying, cops said. The driver grabbed the fare-beaters and demanded his cash," but then Mike Nguyen, 25, allegedly hit him and took his cellphone. The driver then called the police, who arrested Nguyen for assault and petit larceny. more ›

One young Brooklynite over at the Cheap Thriller blog is tired of seeing his money go down "the same black hole that sucks up all the G trains," so he's come up with a short list of alternative ideas the MTA can put into effect before draining the rest of our pockets with another fare hike. Here are a few: more ›

Excellent Car Service driver Cesar Santos was fatally shot by a passenger Sunday in Kingsbridge after they began arguing over the ride's fare. Santos picked up the two suspects at 2857 Sedgwick Avenue around 1:40 p.m., after which they argued and Santos was shot once in the stomach. The suspects fled, and Santos was brought to St. Barnabas hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9:30 p.m. President of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers Jose Viloria told WPIX, "There is no reason for killing a person for pennies." more ›

The far-reaching MTA service cuts approved yesterday are just the tip of the iceberg, according to Mayor Bloomberg. Reducing service, eliminating the W and V trains, and cutting dozens of bus routes will help the MTA close about half of its $750 million budget shortfall—meaning the agency will need to make $400 million of additional cuts by the end of the year. "This is just the beginning," Bloomberg told the Post. "The next round I would think would be much worse ... So save your anger for the next round. Just say thank you that it isn't any worse with this one." more ›

We already knew that subway fare evasion citations were way down, but it looks like cops aren't much harder on buses. A whopping 6.7 million people skip paying bus fare every year, according to the Daily News, but cops arrested or summonsed just 1,826 bus fare evaders in 2009. As one member of the Straphangers Campaign put it: "You have better odds winning Lotto than you do for getting caught by the NYPD for evading the fare on a bus." more ›

Adding to yesterday's report that fare beaters in the city's subway system have been vastly undercounted, the News wrote today that cops have gone soft on the crime. Only about 87,000 turnstile hoppers and emergency gate crashers were ticketed or arrested in 2009, the lowest number in five years. The police explain the drop, saying they're cracking down on big-time perpetrators, in lieu of handing out lots of little fines. "The department focused on the arrest of more serious offenders," said Sgt. Carlos Nieves, not explaining what constitutes a "serious offender." more ›

Just as it prepares to fire hundreds of subway booth agents, the MTA has announced new high figures for turnstile-jumping and fare flouting by other means. Commuters who ride without MetroCards cost the transit system about $27 million last year, according to the Daily News, up from a previous calculation of $7 million. "The MTA's only going to make jumping the turnstile more inviting by slashing scores of clerks from subway station entrances," Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign warned, but the MTA says the big statistical jump is misleading. more ›

Despite promising to not raise fares until next year, MTA board members are considering increasing the cost of MetroCards in an attempt to balance a budget that will still come up short by $378 million even after service cuts. "In view of the reaction we got to the service reductions we have out there, I think that asking most board members if they'd rather see more service cuts or a fare increase, I think, at the moment, many would pick a fare increase," said one board member. more ›

There's already talk that the MTA will raise fares by more than the expected 7.5 percent next year—but now transit experts say the cash-strapped agency might increase the cost of commuting before the end of 2010. With a budget shortfall that's only gotten worse in recent weeks, MTA chairman Jay Walder told the Times: "[I]t has been my intent to hold to that scheduled increase...I believe that having regularly scheduled increases is preferable to increasing fares and tolls in other circumstances, and we're trying very much to stay in that mode." But trying very much doesn't necessarily mean will, according to insiders. "He very consciously did not rule it out," warned one transit watchdog. more ›

Subway ridership dropped last year but the Staten Island ferry had people hanging off the railings. Passenger numbers set an all-time record: more than 21 million people rode the ferry in 2009, reports the Staten Island Advance. During rush hours sleepy commuters couldn’t catch a nap since all the seats were taken; they couldn’t get a pick-me-up since the concessions line took almost as long as the ride. "Ferry riders tell us we're on the right track and we will continue to look for new ways to make their rides as safe, comfortable and attractive as they can be,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. more ›

Unless lawmakers can come up with new ways to fund the MTA, the transit agency might be forced to raise its base fare to $2.60 and increase the cost of unlimited monthly MetroCards to more than $100, according to a new study. The report reveals that even if the MTA implements far-reaching service cuts this year and ups fares by the planned 7.5 percent next year, it would still fall short of balancing its budget without additional funding. more ›

Under Gov. Paterson's plan to rescue the MTA from a $400 million budget shortfall, New York City businesses would see a payroll tax increase by 59 percent, surging from .34 percent for every $100 of payroll to .54 percent. Meanwhile, the payroll tax in suburban areas would be cut in half. more ›

With the MTA facing a $400 million budget gap—even if it implements "Doomsday" service cuts and a 7.5 percent fare hike—Mayor Bloomberg warned straphangers yesterday that commuting will likely become more tedious, more expensive, or both. According to the Post, the Mayor said state legislators must "come up with some ways to fund the MTA, or the MTA is either going to have to raise rates dramatically or cut back service dramatically—or, what's more likely, some combination of the two," more ›

Thanks to plummeting tax revenues, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to face a $400 million budget shortfall—even if it implements drastic service cuts that would terminate bus lines and subway routes and nix free Metrocards for students. So what, if anything, could be worse than the already-proposed "Doomsday" cuts? more ›

As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority considers far-reaching service cuts that could eliminate free Metrocards for students and nix entire subway lines, the MTA's chairman unveiled a series of agency-wide goals intended to make commuting easier. MTA Chair Jay Walder said the city's public transit needs a "top-to-bottom overhaul" because "many service improvements are long overdue and ... customers are tired of hearing excuses." more ›

As pedicab operators make the final stride in becoming legit under the city's new regulations, the NY Post takes a look at their rate cards. Unlike other modes of transportation in this city, pedicabs don't have a fixed fare. Operators can change their prices from minute-to-minute as long as they provide rate cards for their customers. more ›

Here's some more bad news about the city's embattled carriage horse industry. The Post reveals that many carriage drivers are charging customers more than the city-sanctioned rates. This comes amidst a highly public fight over animal rights, the announcement that one of the city's few remaining stables will close, and a new proposal replace horse carriages with antique-looking cars. more ›

Yesterday a 50-cent surcharge was tacked on to taxi fares as part of the state's MTA bailout, starting a cab ride with a $3 base fee... and no one is happy about it. more ›

This Sunday, a 50-cent surcharge will be added to taxi fares, as part of the state's MTA bailout which was approved earlier this year. This surcharge is in addition to the existing surcharges, such as the rush-hour surcharge (Monday-Friday) of $1 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and the night surcharge between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. more ›

Someone's created a new iPhone app with straphangers in mind. It's called MetroCost and it "can help you determine how much money you're saving (or losing) with an Unlimited Ride versus a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. All you need to do is swipe across the (picture of a) magnetic strip each time you ride, and MetroCost will do all the math for you." Now, can we get one that tells you when the MTA keeps the change? more ›

Last week a story seemingly of the "friend of a friend" urban legend variety started circulating, and at the center of it was an out-of-town 20-year-old and her iPod. The woman claimed Port Authority officers forced her to give up her iPod when the cab's credit card machine malfunctioned and she was unable to pay with plastic. Now, the NY Post has picked up on the story, shedding some new light on the passenger's unfare experience...and guys, it was just a Nano!

Natalie Lenhart, of Sacramento, Calif., said the $140 music player, full of "oldies" by The Beatles and James Taylor, was valued at more than $90 more than the final cab fare, with tip, that she racked up last month. The driver, Mohammed Islam, said he still has the iPod and wants to give it back in the presence of a Taxi and Limousine Commission official. Islam said he called 911 after Lenhart swiped her credit card 20 times at Kennedy Airport, and Port Authority officers responded.

Ever since cabs introduced credit card machines it's been nothing but trouble. The latest horror story has an absurd spin, however. Allegedly a 20-year-old girl was visiting the Big Apple when a cabbie stole her iPod. The story goes like this, as told by the girl's mother:

After the driver took her to JFK airport to catch her flight home, she tried to pay using her credit card. She had been using her credit card to pay for all her taxi cab rides. This time the card was not approved. She knew that she had enough money on the card to pay for the ride, so she called up the bank to find out what was wrong. They agreed that she had enough to pay for it but the driver’s machine used for the credit cards was not working. All the numbers were not going over either due to an equipment malfunction or a bad signal near the airport. more ›

NYC comptroller William Thompson is proposing that the city plug the MTA's budget gap by raising automobile registration fees in the 12 counties served by the MTA’s trains and buses. If passed by the State Legislature, his plan would require drivers in the city and surrounding counties to pay $100 a year to register their vehicles. (The city currently charges $30 every two years.) According to the Times, drivers with vehicles weighing more than 2,300 pounds would have to pay an additional 9 cents per pound. By that measure, owners of Lincoln Navigators, which weigh in at 6,000 lbs., would owe the city $450 per year. Thompson says the revenue could add up to about $1 billion per year and serve as an alternative to the MTA's "devastating" budget proposal announced last week. more ›

The sky is falling undergound! (And above ground, where the buses drive.) At an MTA finance committee this morning, officials announced that they're looking at a $1.2 billion budget deficit in 2009, which is $300 million more than what was projected in July. Chief executive Elliot Sander says the dire fiscal situation was caused by a sharp drop in revenue from real estate and corporate taxes. Sanders also said that because "the 2000-2004 capital program was essentially put on a credit card," the MTA is facing massive interest payments which are projected to rise to $2 billion by 2012. According to City Room, Sanders warned that "if the governor and the Legislature do not act within a certain period of time, in the spring, then the fare and toll increase and the service reductions will take place." In a statement, Governor Paterson reminded New Yorkers that a special commission will soon release a report on ways to manage the MTA's "dire fiscal situation." One option under consideration is to start charging tolls on the East River bridges. more ›

The ferries to Fire Island are seeking an immediate fare increase that would raise the cost up to 25 percent, raising one-way fares from $8 to $10, and round-trip from $15 to $18. Newsday reports that ferry reps of the "Fire Island Ferries Inc. of Bay Shore and the Davis Park Ferry Co. of Patchogue told county legislators this week that they will lose more than $150,000 each this year and will need the fare hikes to avoid doing the same next summer." To counter that, a rep from the Legislature's Budget Review Office claims the ferries made more than $1 million in 2007, thanks in part to a previous fare increase of 10%, and is suggesting another hike not be granted before the end of September. In order to raise the fares the private ferry companies will need the county's approval first. more ›

Last week we learned that all New York taxis will soon be held to higher fuel efficiency standards; starting next October new cabs must get at least 25 miles per gallon. But the cab changes don’t stop there – in addition to upcoming GPS and touch-screen video technology, the Taxi and Limousine Commission is considering selling an unlimited card for cab riders, which may feature “fare integration” with buses and subways. Over half the city’s 13,000+ cabs are equipped with credit card readers; the TLC expects all of them to take your plastic by spring ’08 – and Metrocards are being proposed as a next step. more ›

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. more ›

Yesterday the NY Post warned non-recyclers that they'd have to don a "scarlet litter" if they didn't clean up their acts. We hoped this "scarlet litter" would be a hat hand-crafted by a Freegan and worn atop the heads of the environmentally-challenged, but instead it's something much more sensible: a clear bag for all of your garbage that leaves little to the imagination. New York, we don't really want to see your trash, so please try to figure out this whole recycling thing, m'kay?

If warnings and summonses do not induce residents to separate their recyclables from the rest of the trash, the city will force them to put all their garbage into clear plastic bags and endure routine inspections. more ›