Since Monday, the MTA has held public hearings for the perspectives of residents in the five boroughs and outlying suburbs. To no one's surprise, people are seriously pissed off about the upcoming fare hikes. The Mayor took the time to blast the MTA, saying, "Bloated payrolls, out-of-control spending, needless redundancies. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no way to run a railroad - and no way to earn the trust of the people who ride the nation's largest bus and subway system, either." Yeah, having a transit system with a $436 million deficit now and a project $1.4 billion gap in two years is really bad. The Mayor was both cheered and booed; cheering because it's nice when the Mayor is on your side (this time), booing because many people remember that the city has cut funding to the MTA. Gothamist liked the posters with Governor Pataki's face, such as the one above (photo from Newsday), because we feel he's a huge part of the MTA's problem.
What the MTA is trying to do:
- Raise price of unlimited Metrocards - monthly cards go from $70 to $76 and weekly cards go from $21 to $24.
- Express bus fares rise to $5, from $4
- Tolls will increase - $4 tolls would be $4.50, $2 tolls to $2.25.
- Increase cost of train fares, about 5%
- Service cuts, including closing over 160 token booths
Gothamist on subway fare hikes.
