What if the MTA was a statewide agency?

[qjtransitmaster]

What if the MTA was a statewide agency? We'd be broke.

 

UNDERSTATEMENT MTA can't handle rural type bus service unless it's feeding their trains. They actuall subsidize many buses in upstate that link at poughkeepsie,beacon and brewster and other stations.

[aemoreira81]

As for upstate long distance service on sparse rural routes--I believe the state DOT should provide subsidies to private operators if they want service at a prescribed level on an unserved or underserved route. Let a safety-certified pool of operators bid for the contracts. If I'm not mistaken, something along those lines is already in existence.

 

Some routes in western NY, as well as the Syracuse-Massena route, are subsidized by the NYSDOT.

[Forest Glen]

If the MTA can't even function in the NY Metropolitan area, why would they become a statewide agency.

[trainfan22]

This has me wondering, why does the Bridges & Tunnels portion of the MTA exist? How come whoever operates the Brooklyn, Mantthan, Willyb and 59th Street Bridges doesn't operate the the bridges and tunnels that are operated by MTA's Bridges & Tunnels.

[Blitz]

That is the model I would move to. The MTA would be a purchasing agency (and Ed Mangano can probably be convinced to let the MTA buy equipment to get the costs off his county's books), who would then turn over the equipment to private operators.

BTW, the city essentially ran the privates out of business by not buying any new equipment to replace buses that should have been junked 8-9 years before takeover. The next mayor should work with the governor to dismantle the MTA.

 

If you dismantle the MTA and turn bus service over to private operators, the fare will go up almost right away. The only reason the fare doesn't shoot up as much with the MTA is b/c of the fare sharing between Subways, Buses, and TBTA. if that fare sharing is not in place, the base fare would go up every year instead of every 2-4 years like it currently does

[traildriver]

This has me wondering, why does the Bridges & Tunnels portion of the MTA exist? How come whoever operates the Brooklyn, Mantthan, Willyb and 59th Street Bridges doesn't operate the the bridges and tunnels that are operated by MTA's Bridges & Tunnels.

 

That goes back historically to the 'free' bridges built by early city departments and the MTA toll facilities inherited from the old Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which similar to the Thruway Authority is semi-autonomous and financed differently.

[aemoreira81]

If you dismantle the MTA and turn bus service over to private operators, the fare will go up almost right away. The only reason the fare doesn't shoot up as much with the MTA is b/c of the fare sharing between Subways, Buses, and TBTA. if that fare sharing is not in place, the base fare would go up every year instead of every 2-4 years like it currently does

 

My idea would be a public-private operation where a common fare structure exists, but private operators would have control over the routes and be able to schedule them more in line with customer demand. There would be a fixed subsidy to each operator and other safeguards against waste.

 

Private operators would be allowed more flexibility in drawing routes (within certain parameters, of course).

[qjtransitmaster]

My idea would be a public-private operation where a common fare structure exists, but private operators would have control over the routes and be able to schedule them more in line with customer demand. There would be a fixed subsidy to each operator and other safeguards against waste.

 

Private operators would be allowed more flexibility in drawing routes (within certain parameters, of course).

 

That is the weakness of public-private the fact that they themselves have control over the routes. If one operator decided to end earlier and the other decided to do otherwise and not have a regional rte then we would have a network as fragmented as LA as that actually breaks connections with rtes and creates a confusing network the ppl would have to go to each operator for schedule info that would end in disaster as ppl will end up misinformed creating a bad reputation. The public-private with multiple operators wont work in a major metropolitan area. That works in suburban places like suffolk and maybe dutchess and for intercity state based networks. But in NYC it will fail horribly cause then several operators more than needed will try and get routes which will create an LA type situation and a horribly confusing network. Then to make matters worse if one makes cuts then the rest lose connections and a slow collapse begins. Public-private is best for suburban regional systems NOT city metropolitan areas. The real problem is the MTA is run with little to no oversight with few consequences (punishments) for waste.