MTA bigwig hints at trimming 7% discount riders get for MetroCard pay-ride

[error46146]

This guy is no better than Walder... How about instead of cutting service, raising fares, and laying off hundreds of transit workers, how about we cut administration waste and paychecks?? Oh wait never mind god forbid that ever happens... oh no they must be "properly compensated" for making our transportation awful... they must have their nice fancy building on Madison Ave and Broadway and Stone Street and other expensive places in Manhattan and not that crummy old place on Jay Street, no no no no no....

 

I find it hard to believe that this guy takes the subway to work... if this guy actually went and crammed himself into the trains with the rest of us, then I am pretty certain that things wouldn't be the way they are right now

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

This guy is no better than Walder... How about instead of cutting service, raising fares, and laying off hundreds of transit workers, how about we cut administration waste and paychecks?? Oh wait never mind god forbid that ever happens... oh no they must be "properly compensated" for making our transportation awful... they must have their nice fancy building on Madison Ave and Broadway and Stone Street and other expensive places in Manhattan and not that crummy old place on Jay Street, no no no no no....

 

I find it hard to believe that this guy takes the subway to work... if this guy actually went and crammed himself into the trains with the rest of us, then I am pretty certain that things wouldn't be the way they are right now

 

There isnt always the money to this. But still at least we have an actual transportation system. Better than nothing.

[SoSpectacular]

Do you really need to be making 100 grand a year?

 

 

Head of MTA makes around 335k a year, which isn't bad

[Kamen Rider]

This guy is no better than Walder... How about instead of cutting service, raising fares, and laying off hundreds of transit workers, how about we cut administration waste and paychecks?? Oh wait never mind god forbid that ever happens... oh no they must be "properly compensated" for making our transportation awful... they must have their nice fancy building on Madison Ave and Broadway and Stone Street and other expensive places in Manhattan and not that crummy old place on Jay Street, no no no no no....

 

I find it hard to believe that this guy takes the subway to work... if this guy actually went and crammed himself into the trains with the rest of us, then I am pretty certain that things wouldn't be the way they are right now

 

 

you seem to not be able to comparend the numbers we're talking about here and are just going on a rant for no reason. Cutting the top level pay, no matter how much it is, is a drop in the bucket compaired to what needs to be saved. The state took hundrids of millions of dollars away from the MTA to cause the cuts two years ago. Joe's annual gross income is 1/333th of that. to put it in simpler terms, if you had 333 guys making Lahota's pay, you'd need to get rid of all of them to get near what the state took out.

 

and don't give us that routine that you'd do it for less or you'd do it better. two seconds in that seat, you'd be just like him.

 

you also seem to have missed the fact they were trying to unload madison ave.

[NYCRailfan523]

I agree they should have a 7% discount.

[Nova RTS 9147]

Do you really need to be making 100 grand a year?

 

100 grand a year???? If he were only making 100 grand a year. Try over $330,000 a year! $332,500 a year to be exact.

 

 

Which is about average for a high level municipal employee.....or piss poor for a CEO in most countries, depending on how you judge it. Either way $332,500 isn't a big deal (compared to the $2 million a year his predecessor is making)

 

I would LOVE to be in this man's position.. I'll do it for a third of the price!!!!

 

This jerk is sitting on some fancy leather chair getting driven to work every day while everyone else is cramming onto the trains and struggling to make ends meet, and then he has the nerve to say something like that.

 

 

I too would love to be in his position, of course I demand the entire $332,500 a year. In all seriousness, hes right. If you want a real discount then buy an unlimited. Per ride, its still the biggest steal anyone can buy.

[RtrainBlues]

Still not sure why NYC Transit riders pay a greater proportion of their ride's cost than LIRR/Metro-North riders. The subsidy should be equal (in other words, LIRR/Metro-North riders should be paying quite a bit more.)

[RTOMan]

While we're discussing salries, does Samulson deserve his 6 digit pay for being the James A. Bailey to Lahota's PT Barnum?

 

 

Why dont you ask folks who work in Surface and RTO that question?

 

Instead of folks who dont?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

This guy is no better than Walder... How about instead of cutting service, raising fares, and laying off hundreds of transit workers, how about we cut administration waste and paychecks?? Oh wait never mind god forbid that ever happens... oh no they must be "properly compensated" for making our transportation awful... they must have their nice fancy building on Madison Ave and Broadway and Stone Street and other expensive places in Manhattan and not that crummy old place on Jay Street, no no no no no....

 

I find it hard to believe that this guy takes the subway to work... if this guy actually went and crammed himself into the trains with the rest of us, then I am pretty certain that things wouldn't be the way they are right now

 

I agree with Kamen Rider in that you're just going on a rant just because. I've seen the guy on several occasions in person on several occasions and he's a down to earth guy who does indeed take the subway every day as he has been well before he came into his current position. He works quite hard and long hours trying to deal with a difficult financial situation. You cannot run service if the monies aren't there and I think he has done a great job at trying to cut a lot of the fat that is in that agency. Don't get me wrong, I believe more can be done, but he's off to a good start with what he's had to work with. Jay Walder left the agency in a very difficult time financially and Lhota had to step in and quickly pick up the pieces and try to make things work as best as he could.

[TwoTimer]

When the prior hike occurred, I actually thought it should have went to 2.50 (with the discounts distributed fairly) if anything so it could remain constant for a number of years and can provide stability and cost-cutting to keep it there, instead of poke, poke, poke, poke. Even now there are jobs (mostly c/r but a few t/o jobs) everyday that either go unfilled or are filled through regular OT. Most T/D try to fill those jobs somehow even if there isn't much work to be done as otherwise those jobs will be cut (which most on here wouldn't mind at all). On the other hand, when there is significant work to be done, the jobs wouldn't be there to fill, and hourly workers generally do not do any favors for supervision.

[SoSpectacular]

Which is about average for a high level municipal employee.....or piss poor for a CEO in most countries, depending on how you judge it.

 

 

That's only piss poor here in America

[Q10 Airport]

The has only so much money to begin with, so there is little any CEO could do about that. What's even worse is that the has been getting funding cuts in recent years. I agree that administration has to be cut, but that will only take you so far.

[Threxx]

I agree they should have a 7% discount.

 

 

You wouldn't say that when you have odd amounts you can't use stuck on your card...

 

@Error: On the whole "He's no better than Walder" thing, I'd beg to differ, but that's not the point. Do you think being the chairman of the board of the world's largest transit system is easy? Go ahead, take the job for a week. I bet you'd be demanding a million dollars...

[Kamen Rider]

before or after he pulls his hair out?

[checkmatechamp13]

You wouldn't say that when you have odd amounts you can't use stuck on your card...

 

 

Then just combine it with another MetroCard or add more money to it to round it off. Done. (Either that, or you can give it to me and have me do it for you, and I'll keep the money. )

[Threxx]

Then just combine it with another MetroCard or add more money to it to round it off. Done. (Either that, or you can give it to me and have me do it for you, and I'll keep the money. )

 

 

NO.

[Q10 Airport]

Exactly how much money will the actually save from this? Are they going to get tens of millions in revenue, or is this just nickel-and-dime?

[checkmatechamp13]

Exactly how much money will the actually save from this? Are they going to get tens of millions in revenue, or is this just nickel-and-dime?

 

 

As of now, they say they get around $50 million a year from people tossing away MetroCards with odd balances and things like that, so it'll be a decent amount that they save.

[N6 Limited]

Exactly how much money will the actually save from this? Are they going to get tens of millions in revenue, or is this just nickel-and-dime?

 

As of now, they say they get around $50 million a year from people tossing away MetroCards with odd balances and things like that, so it'll be a decent amount that they save.

 

The odd balances are from the "bonuses", once they git rid of the discount there will be no odd balances on the cards. And people will not be compelled to refill their card with at least $10

[TwoTimer]

it will be piecemeal, only purchasing a fare when u need to. only places this will happen less are places where there are few or no agents.

[brokecrazy]

But you have to admit that with the stupid amounts they give Pay-Per-Ride customers in terms of discounts, it is clear that they really don't want to give the discount anyway, so they might as well just come out and say it. I mean what's the point of leaving me with .21 cents on a card if I can't make the amount even at the machine so I can use the entire bonus? I've gotten rid of a few Pay-Per-Ride cards with dumb amounts on them because it isn't worth the hassle of going to the token booth clerk and putting together several cards for a few pennies. Aside from that, I like using my charge card for Metrocard purchases in case I lose the card, this way I can be refunded, where as with cash I can't.

 

 

THe insurance feature is ONLY good for 30 day unlimited and 7 day express bus plus cards. Using you credit card for pay-per-ride cards will NOT get them replaced if lost.

 

If the goal is to try to reduce small purchases, the $1 green fee should do the trick.

 

And cash fares on buses should be the same as the SingleRide ticket.

 

How do you expect someone who doesn't live near a machine/store selling metrocards to get a card? It is bad enough a bus transfer is not good for the subway.