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MTA Unveils Two Options For 2017 Fare Hike


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2017 Fare and Toll Proposals
 
November 16th, 2016
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has unveiled two options for needed increase to fares and tolls over the next two years by less than 4 percent – or an average of 2 percent annually, consistent with the financial forecast made in July. The MTA’s continued discipline in keeping costs down has resulted in the lowest increase since 2009, when the MTA committed to a biennial schedule to keep adjustments as small and predictable as possible.

Just over half of the MTA’s $15.6 billion annual operating budget comes from fares and tolls. Yet the MTA has achieved nearly $1.8 billion in 2016 annual savings, with more cost cutting planned every year to hold increases to a minimum.

“The MTA continues to keep its promise to make sure that fare and toll increases, while necessary to keep our system running, remain as low and possible and that they are done in as equitable a way as possible,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “Fare and toll revenue cover just 51 percent the operating budget, which is why this modest increase is needed to ensure that subway, rail, bus and paratransit services continue operate safely and reliably and to fuel the region’s economic and financial growth.”

The proposals will be the subject of eight public hearings across the MTA region in December. The MTA Board will review public input before a final proposal is selected and voted on by the full Board in January. The new fares and tolls will take effect on March 19, 2017.

The following are details of the fare and toll options for each MTA service. Both options generate approximately the same revenue for the MTA.

New York City Subway and Buses

The MTA offers several ways to pay for rides on subways, buses and the Staten Island Railway. Two fare structures are being considered that treat the base fare and bonus rides differently, however changes to 7-day and 30-day unlimited ride MetroCards are the same in both proposals.

Proposed changes are as follows:

Fare Type

Current

Plan A

Plan B

Base MetroCard Fare/ Local Bus Cash Fare

$2.75

$2.75

$3.00

Bonus

11% with $5.50 purchase

5% with $5.50 purchase

16% with $6.00 purchase

Effective Fare with Bonus

$2.48

$2.62

$2.59

Single Ride Ticket (base MetroCard/Cash Fare plus 25 cents)

$3.00

$3.00

$3.25

Express Bus Fare

   Cash

   MetroCard with Bonus

 

$6.50

$5.86

 

$6.50

$6.19

 

$7.00

$6.03

30-Day MetroCard

$116.50

$121.00

$121.00

7-Day MetroCard

$31.00

$32.00

$32.00

7-Day Express Bus Plus MetroCard

$57.25

$59.50

$59.50

Access-a-Ride Fare

$2.75

$2.75

$3.00

Note: $1 fee for purchasing a new MetroCard remains unchanged.

A key distinction between the two options is the size of the bonus and change in the base fare. Currently, the base fare is $2.75 and the bonus is 11% when purchasing at least a roundtrip (61 cents for a $5.50 purchase).

  • In Plan A, the base fare stays at $2.75 and the bonus goes down to 5% when purchasing a roundtrip (28 cents with a $5.50 roundtrip purchase) increasing the effective cost of a ride from $2.48 to $2.62.
  • In Plan B, the base fare increases to $3.00 and the bonus increases to 16% when purchasing a roundtrip (96 cents with a $6.00 roundtrip purchase) increasing the effective cost for a ride from $2.48 to $2.59.

Approximately 40 percent of trips use the bonus MetroCard. Non-bonus MetroCards and cash on buses are used for 7 percent of trips while single-ride tickets are used for only 1 percent of trips.

The most popular fare payments methods used are time-based; 52 percent of rides are taken using an unlimited ride pass. 30-day unlimited MetroCards increase 3.9 percent under both proposals; 7-day unlimited MetroCards increase 3.2 percent under both proposals.

Fares to ride the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad are based on the distance traveled and are lower during less busy, off-peak times. Significant discounts are available from the one-way and round-trip price by purchasing 10-trip off-peak tickets and weekly and monthly unlimited-ride tickets.

For regular commuters – those using monthly and weekly tickets – the proposed increase is capped at 3.75 percent; monthly ticket increases are capped at a maximum of $15 for the longest trips; weekly ticket increases are capped at a maximum of $6.75 for the longest trips.

Other riders would see a fare increase of 4 percent or lower; however, because increases must occur in 25-cent increments, some single-trip rides would increase by as much as 6 percent (but by no more than 50 cents.)

Fares for travel to, from or within Connecticut are not affected by this proposal. (A Connecticut fare increase is scheduled to be implemented separately on December 1, 2016.)

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

Proposed increases for car tolls for New York Customer Service Center (NYCSC) E-ZPass holders will increase by 4 percent or less. MTA Bridges and Tunnels also offers substantial discounts to residents of Staten Island and the Rockaways.

For non-E-ZPass users, increases are higher in order to encourage drivers to use it and in order to reduce congestion in advance of cashless tolling coming to bridges and tunnels.

Crossing

Current

Proposed

Robert F. Kennedy Bridge

Bronx-Whitestone Bridge

Hugh L. Carey Tunnel

Throgs Neck Bridge

Queens Midtown Tunnel

Car NYCSC E-ZPass

$5.54

$5.76

Car Cash or Tolls by Mail/Non-NYCSC E-ZPass

$8.00

$8.50

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

(Toll collected in one direction only)

Car NYCSC E-ZPass

$11.08

$11.52

Staten Island Resident E-ZPass >2 Trips/Month

$6.24

$6.48

Staten Island Resident E-ZPass

$6.60

$6.84

Staten Island Resident Token or E-Token

$8.86

$9.23

Car Cash or Tolls by Mail/Non-NYCSC E-ZPass

$16.00

$17.00

Henry Hudson Bridge

Car NYCSC E-ZPass

$2.54

$2.64

Car Tolls By Mail/Non-NYCSC E-ZPass

$5.50

$6.00

Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge

Car NYCSC E-ZPass

$2.08

$2.16

Rockaway Resident Token or E-Token

$1.86

$1.93

Rockaway Resident E-ZPass

$1.36

$1.41

Car Cash or Tolls by Mail/Non-NYCSC E-ZPass

$4.00

$4.25

Minor Token or E-Token

$2.67

$2.83

Public Review Process

The MTA’s public review process will enable MTA Board members to receive testimony delivered at eight public hearings throughout the MTA’s service territory, through written statements accepted via email and regular mail, and through transcripts of videotaped public comments.

There will be one public hearing in each of the five boroughs of New York City and one each on Long Island and in the northern suburbs east and west of the Hudson River. The hearings will be held at fully ADA-accessible locations until the scheduled ending time or all registered speakers have spoken, whichever is later. Members of the public can register to speak in advance by calling (646) 252-6777 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. To enable all members of the public to testify, the MTA asks that all remarks be kept to three minutes or less.

The dates and locations of the hearings are as follows.

Monday, December 5, 2016:
Queens – The Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center at York College, Main Stage Theater, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, Jamaica, NY. Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By Subway: e.pngj.pngz.png to Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer
By Bus: Q20A, Q44-LTD, Q111, Q112, Q114-LTD

Tuesday, December 6, 2016:
Staten Island – College of Staten Island, Center for the Arts at College of Staten Island, The Williamson Theater Bldg 1P, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY. Registration period is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Hearing begins at 6 p.m.
By Bus: From St George Ferry Terminal take the S62 or S92-LTD bus
From Brooklyn: Take the S93-LTD to College of Staten Island. Or take the S53 and transfer to the S62 or S92-LTD at Victory Blvd.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016:
Long Island – Hilton Long Island/Huntington, Salon C & D, 598 Broad Hollow Road, Melville, NY. Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By LIRR: Nearest station is Farmingdale, or take LIRR to Amityville Station, then take the S1 bus north, or take LIRR to Huntington Station, take the S1 bus south.

Thursday, December 8, 2016:
Manhattan – Baruch College, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Mason Hall, 17 Lexington Avenue at 23rd Street, New York, NY.
Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By Subway: r.pngw.png to 23 St, 6.png to 23 St
By Bus: M23, M101-LTD, M102, M103
Bus Transfers: M1, M2, M3 (all northbound bus routes to Baruch College)

Tuesday, December 13, 2016:
Bronx – Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture, Main Theater, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street, Bronx, NY
Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By Subway: 2.png4.png5.png to 149 Street-Grand Concourse
By Bus: Bx1, Bx1-LTD, Bx13, Bx19

Thursday, December 15, 2016:
West of Hudson – Crowne Plaza Suffern, Montebello Ballroom, 3 Executive Blvd, Suffern, NY. Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By Metro-North: from Hoboken Terminal New Jersey to Suffern Station where taxi service is available

Monday, December 19, 2016: 
Brooklyn – Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Road (near the junction of Nostrand Avenue and Avenue H), Brooklyn, NY. Registration period is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Hearing begins at 6 p.m.
By Subway: 2.png5.png to Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College
By Bus: B6, B11, B41, B41-LTD, B44, B44 SBS, B103, Q35

Tuesday, December 20, 2016:
Westchester – New York Power Authority, Jaguar Room, 123 Main Street (Enter on Hamilton Ave.), White Plains, NY. Registration period is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Hearing begins at 5 p.m.
By Metro-North: to White Plains Station

Members of the public who wish to submit comments via email can do so through our website at www.mta.info, or by letter to MTA Government Affairs, 20th Floor, 2 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.

Customers may also visit the satellite facilities on the dates and times listed below where comments will be videotaped. All comments will be transcribed and made part of the permanent record of these hearings. Please note there is a 3-minute time limit for each individual’s videotaped session, and there will be no opportunity for question-and-answer.

NYC Transit Headquarters, 3 Stone St., Manhattan
Tuesday, December 13, 2016, 9 a.m. to noon
By Subway: r.pngw.png to Whitehall St; 4.png5.png to Bowling Green; 1.png to South Ferry
By Bus: M5, M5-LTD, M15, M15 SBS, M20, X1, X10

LIRR Hicksville Station
Tuesday, December 13, 2016, 6 to 10 a.m.
Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus service to Hicksville Station: N20, N20L, N24, N48, N49, N73, N74, N78, N79, N80, N81

LIRR Ronkonkoma Station
Thursday, December 15, 2016, 6 to 10 a.m.
By Bus: S57 bus to Ronkonkoma Station

Metro-North Poughkeepsie Station
Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 5 to 8 p.m.
Pedestrian Overpass Waiting Room

Source: http://www.mta.info/news/2016/11/16/2017-fare-and-toll-proposals

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Another interesting article:

 

 

The hikes inspired a lengthy discussion among board members about equitable transit and social fare programs on Wednesday, buoyed by increasing support for an idea to provide half-fare MetroCards to low-income New Yorkers

Championed by the Community Service Society (CSS) and Riders Alliance, the plan would cost $200 million and could impact 800,000 city residents living at or below the poverty line, the organizations estimate.

David Jones, President of the CSS and an MTA board member, feared that either fare hike option would hurt that group of commuters. He’s argued that, generally, fare policy works to the disadvantage of the impoverished, who often can’t afford monthly cards.

Another fare hike could be a breaking point for those New Yorkers, he said.

“The best way for people to move people out of poverty and support their family is work,” said Jones. “To hit $3 — that’s $6 a day. For people [living at the poverty line] with a family of four, this could get real serious.” 

City Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan) argued that riders shouldn’t pay more for an “inferior product.” He rallied this week for the MTA to increase service quality on the 1, A, B, C and D lines in his uptown district.

“Riders are about to be asked to pay more at a time when service through the system is not up to an acceptable level,” he said. “Overcrowding is getting worse and worse. Ridership, especially uptown, is booming, and we need to first provide adequate service before asking for more money.”

The MTA countered at its board meeting that its two proposals were carved in the most equitable way possible. The agency also pointed to improvements, including expansion projects like its 7 line extension and the impending opening of the Second Avenue subway’s Phase 1, and other capital work, like the revamping of 31 stations and installation of countdown clocks and Wi-Fi throughout the system.

“We actually are providing expanded service in these next two years,” Prendergast said, elaborating that about 75 percent of revenue from the hike goes towards safety and reliability efforts. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, I’m not getting anything for that but I’m paying more.’ But our employees deserve raises ... It’s all of those factors rolled into one.”

Source: http://www.amny.com/transit/mta-fare-hike-proposal-for-2017-details-unveiled-1.12625906

 

I'm completely against giving "low-income" riders half-fare Metrocards.  Were do the handouts stop?  It's completely unfair to ask riders to pay more and more while giving more and more breaks to others.  Besides, those people are likely farebeating anyway.  Those are the same people that are supposedly broke, but can afford expensive sneakers ("Made in China" of course  <_<). 

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I'm completely against giving "low-income" riders half-fare Metrocards.  

 

Then expect fare beating to go up accordingly...

 

  It's completely unfair to ask riders to pay more and more while giving more and more breaks to others.  

I'd rather get $1.50 from them than nothing...

 

 Those are the same people that are supposedly broke, but can afford expensive sneakers ("Made in China" of course  <_<). 

 

 

 

Without turning this into a discussion on poverty, the idea that people who receive social benefits (welfare) are primarily people of color gaming the system (buying expensive sneakers, whatever) is entirely false...

 

Regardless, there is a rather large segment of the population that is being priced out of the subway and that isn't recognized as under the poverty line thanks to the absolutely arcane way of calculating the poverty threshold...

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Then expect fare beating to go up accordingly...

 

I'd rather get $1.50 from them than nothing...

 

 

 

 

Without turning this into a discussion on poverty, the idea that people who receive social benefits (welfare) are primarily people of color gaming the system (buying expensive sneakers, whatever) is entirely false...

 

Regardless, there is a rather large segment of the population that is being priced out of the subway and that isn't recognized as under the poverty line thanks to the absolutely arcane way of calculating the poverty threshold...

I never said anything of color because I see all sorts of people gaming the system... You added that.  Even if you give these people a half-fare Metrocard, I don't see them paying.  There's a sense of entitlement among these people that they should be given everything for free on someone else's dime.  And yes it's troubling that they can afford materialistic items but can't afford the fare.  Just comes down to priorities.

 

What I do support is higher fares for more fare enforcement.  That we definitely need because jacking up the fares every two years isn't fare for those that are paying.  

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I never said anything of color because I see all sorts of people gaming the system... You added that.  

 

I added that because its the prevailing stereotype in general. Should have made that clearer...

 

As for your other points, yes our materialistic society is a BIG problem...

 

but I also think that viewing them through the "entitlement" lens is not going to solve it and it will only make the problem worse.

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I feel the price riders pay should have some relationship to the quality of service being provided.What I see is riders being asked to pay more money for worse service then they've had in the past. Even if transit is the most affordable way to travel when you couple this news with the declining reliability of service it's going to be a tough pill to swallow. I can easily afford the transit fare and am yet still against this hike for that reason alone.

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I feel the price riders pay should have some relationship to the quality of service being provided.What I see is riders being asked to pay more money for worse service then they've had in the past. Even if transit is the most affordable way to travel when you couple this news with the declining reliability of service it's going to be a tough pill to swallow. I can easily afford the transit fare and am yet still against this hike for that reason alone.

 

We already don't pay enough to cover normal replacement and maintenance, and inflation exists whether or not your ride is getting crappier. Look at DC to see what happens when you artificially keep fares down to make everyone happy.

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Actually, the fares have been increasing more than the rate of inflation:

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/07/30/cost-of-mta-fare-hikes-growing-faster-than-inflation/

I don't know who authorized the agreement for endless biennial fare increases, but the blame clearly lies with the state and city for not properly funding transportation.  The share of MTA's revenue that comes from riders is one of the highest in the nation; balancing such a great weight largely on the backs of riders is not just unfair, it is also a huge gamble that could backfire should ridership trends shift.

 

Instead of justifying everything the MTA does, why don't you apologists hold your elected officials accountable? If the buffoons who are currently supposed to represent the people of New York actually did their damn jobs, fares would not have to go up so much in the first place.

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I have to say that I favor Plan A.  My cost will go under either plan since I usually buy passes for MNRR and the express bus, but for the express bus, given how poor service has been, I think the (MTA) needs to stabilize reliability before they can justify raising the fare to $7.00. 

 

It's only $7 if you're buying a single fare (in other words, if you're dumping $7 worth of coins into the farebox). The 16% MetroCard bonus kicks in at $6, so for normal people who don't want to carry around over 1/3 of a pound of quarters just for one bus ride, that $7 fare is irrelevant to them. 

 

In other words, by supporting Plan A, you're actually favoring a higher fare for the typical express bus rider.

 

Actually, the fares have been increasing more than the rate of inflation:

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/07/30/cost-of-mta-fare-hikes-growing-faster-than-inflation/

 

I don't know who authorized the agreement for endless biennial fare increases, but the blame clearly lies with the state and city for not properly funding transportation.  The share of MTA's revenue that comes from riders is one of the highest in the nation; balancing such a great weight largely on the backs of riders is not just unfair, it is also a huge gamble that could backfire should ridership trends shift.

 

Instead of justifying everything the MTA does, why don't you apologists hold your elected officials accountable? If the buffoons who are currently supposed to represent the people of New York actually did their damn jobs, fares would not have to go up so much in the first place.

 

I agree with you that the MTA has been shortchanged on funding, but at the same time they need to use the funding that they have more efficiently. Maybe you can blame a lack of funding for the fact that some bus routes don't run as frequently as they should, or some areas don't quite have the coverage that they need, but at the same time, when you have buses regularly bunching on 30+ minute headways, or inefficient routes that are designed to get low ridership, that's purely bad management on the part of the MTA itself.

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Actually, the fares have been increasing more than the rate of inflation:

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/07/30/cost-of-mta-fare-hikes-growing-faster-than-inflation/

 

I don't know who authorized the agreement for endless biennial fare increases, but the blame clearly lies with the state and city for not properly funding transportation.  The share of MTA's revenue that comes from riders is one of the highest in the nation; balancing such a great weight largely on the backs of riders is not just unfair, it is also a huge gamble that could backfire should ridership trends shift.

 

Instead of justifying everything the MTA does, why don't you apologists hold your elected officials accountable? If the buffoons who are currently supposed to represent the people of New York actually did their damn jobs, fares would not have to go up so much in the first place.

 

People do hold the elected officials accountable. We have the Riders Alliance and other organizations asking where the money for the Capital Plan is and why service is so bad, we have Councilmembers and other politicians in many areas fighting for better service, and so on and so forth. The problem is that the rot extends all the way to the top and all the way to the sides, and if you don't live in certain areas you can't vote for a politician who will make transit better simply because that candidate doesn't exist. And even if I advocate in my specific area, the MTA is run by board members from Nassau to Dutchess as well, and my voice means jack s*** to them because I'm not eligible to vote for them.

 

It's not apologising to say that the fares have to go up to cover the costs of the current political reality. Saying that fares shouldn't rise until things get better is equivalent to a child holding their breath until they get what they want; it's just really counterproductive.

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People do hold the elected officials accountable. We have the Riders Alliance and other organizations asking where the money for the Capital Plan is and why service is so bad, we have Councilmembers and other politicians in many areas fighting for better service, and so on and so forth. The problem is that the rot extends all the way to the top and all the way to the sides, and if you don't live in certain areas you can't vote for a politician who will make transit better simply because that candidate doesn't exist. And even if I advocate in my specific area, the MTA is run by board members from Nassau to Dutchess as well, and my voice means jack s*** to them because I'm not eligible to vote for them.

 

It's not apologising to say that the fares have to go up to cover the costs of the current political reality. Saying that fares shouldn't rise until things get better is equivalent to a child holding their breath until they get what they want; it's just really counterproductive.

The real elephant in the room is that we're paying through the nose to cover skyrocketing pensions and other costs work union workers who keep receiving salary increases because they "deserve them", and the cost of everything else is going up.  If only those of us who work in the private sector operated like that we'd be in the pits.  I still think they have too many managerial positions that are overpaid.  Additionally, they claim that they are cutting overhead, but then have high overtime costs that they can't be reimbursed for.  I'm not sure how that works in favor of their bottom line...  <_<

 

It's only $7 if you're buying a single fare (in other words, if you're dumping $7 worth of coins into the farebox). The 16% MetroCard bonus kicks in at $6, so for normal people who don't want to carry around over 1/3 of a pound of quarters just for one bus ride, that $7 fare is irrelevant to them. 

 

In other words, by supporting Plan A, you're actually favoring a higher fare for the typical express bus rider.

I thought about that, but in short I think the base should remain at $6.50 given the abysmal service. If the $7.00 only applies to those paying in coins then fine.  It wasn't clear to me if the $7.00 fee was for Metrocards as well, but it is a good idea to discourage people paying in coins as it slows everyone else down.

 

I feel the price riders pay should have some relationship to the quality of service being provided.What I see is riders being asked to pay more money for worse service then they've had in the past. Even if transit is the most affordable way to travel when you couple this news with the declining reliability of service it's going to be a tough pill to swallow. I can easily afford the transit fare and am yet still against this hike for that reason alone.

Isn't that the truth...

 

We already don't pay enough to cover normal replacement and maintenance, and inflation exists whether or not your ride is getting crappier. Look at DC to see what happens when you artificially keep fares down to make everyone happy.

New Yorkers have the highest tax burden in the nation.  You've brought up how the (MTA) is short changed numerous times and I want to point out that we certainly should not be expected to cough up more out of our pockets by way of taxes to support the (MTA).  

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New Yorkers have the highest tax burden in the nation.  You've brought up how the (MTA) is short changed numerous times and I want to point out that we certainly should not be expected to cough up more out of our pockets by way of taxes to support the (MTA).  

 

If Los Angeles is any indication, a 1 cent Transportation Sales Tax (TST) could raise at least $5 billion in capital funds a year...

 

1 cent...

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If Los Angeles is any indication, a 1 cent Transportation Sales Tax (TST) could raise at least $5 billion in capital funds a year...

 

1 cent...

lol... If the fare was enforced, I don't think that would be necessary.  The new thing I've been noticing is more and more people feigning ignorance about where they're going and what Metrocard to use when riding the express bus.  Had one that got on yesterday with that nonsense.  Since that new stop was added on the BxM1 in Inwood, we have endless people trying to use a regular unlimited Metrocard to ride the express bus, and then they get into a long confrontation with the B/O about how the card should work.   <_<   That doesn't include the people that don't have the right fare.  It isn't tolerated on MNRR.  If you have an off-peak ticket during peak periods, you either pay the step up charge or get off.  The only exceptions that should be made is if your card can't be read (i.e. READ ERROR).  

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The real elephant in the room is that we're paying through the nose to cover skyrocketing pensions and other costs work union workers who keep receiving salary increases because they "deserve them", and the cost of everything else is going up.  If only those of us who work in the private sector operated like that we'd be in the pits.  I still think they have too many managerial positions that are overpaid.  Additionally, they claim that they are cutting overhead, but then have high overtime costs that they can't be reimbursed for.  I'm not sure how that works in favor of their bottom line...  <_<

 

New Yorkers have the highest tax burden in the nation.  You've brought up how the (MTA) is short changed numerous times and I want to point out that we certainly should not be expected to cough up more out of our pockets by way of taxes to support the (MTA).  

 

The pensions problem is a state problem. It's illegal for the TWU to strike; instead, the MTA and TWU subject themselves to a theoretically impartial arbitration board, but this arbitration board has literally said in the past that it's okay to bond out money to cover pensions. Touching existing pensions is also verboten under the New York State Constitution.

 

 

 

[Membership in retirement systems; benefits not to be diminished nor impaired] 

§7. After July first, nineteen hundred forty, membership in any pension or retirement system of the state or of a civil division thereof shall be a contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired. (New. Adopted by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938.)

 

And their managerial positions are underpaid relative to what? Because compared to other rail operators, both private and public alike, MTA does not pay managers that well relative to cost-of-living; look at how Jay Walder got lured away.

 

New York has a high tax burden relative to the nation, but New York also has better transit service than the rest of the nation. Compared to other cities with equal transit availability, New Yorkers are probably in the middle of the range (more expensive than Hong Kong and Berlin, cheaper than London or Paris). 

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The pensions problem is a state problem. It's illegal for the TWU to strike; instead, the MTA and TWU subject themselves to a theoretically impartial arbitration board, but this arbitration board has literally said in the past that it's okay to bond out money to cover pensions. Touching existing pensions is also verboten under the New York State Constitution.

 

 

And their managerial positions are underpaid relative to what? Because compared to other rail operators, both private and public alike, MTA does not pay managers that well relative to cost-of-living; look at how Jay Walder got lured away.

 

New York has a high tax burden relative to the nation, but New York also has better transit service than the rest of the nation. Compared to other cities with equal transit availability, New Yorkers are probably in the middle of the range (more expensive than Hong Kong and Berlin, cheaper than London or Paris). 

Oh please, as if we have something so special here.  Transportation is a necessity here given how dense NYC is overall.  It would be almost impossible to travel without the system that's currently in place.

 

As for Jay Walder, he was earning $350,000 a year in 2009, not including any other perks he received.  The President of the U.S. by comparison earns $400,000 a year.  Not exactly a small pittance.  

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Oh please, as if we have something so special here.  Transportation is a necessity here given how dense NYC is overall.  It would be almost impossible to travel without the system that's currently in place.

 

As for Jay Walder, he was earning $350,000 a year in 2009, not including any other perks he received.  The President of the U.S. by comparison earns $400,000 a year.  Not exactly a small pittance.  

 

Which is really just a statement that says nothing about how much something should cost or how we should pay for it. Necessities aren't necessarily low cost; you need a car in Texas, but that doesn't make building highways or car ownership low cost in Texas.

 

Making salary comparisons across fields is silly. You could say the President makes 400K a year, and I could tell you that football coaches at state colleges make a million dollars a year, and certainly the transit system powering 10% of American GDP should be worth more than a football coach.

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Which is really just a statement that says nothing about how much something should cost or how we should pay for it. Necessities aren't necessarily low cost; you need a car in Texas, but that doesn't make building highways or car ownership low cost in Texas.

 

Making salary comparisons across fields is silly. You could say the President makes 400K a year, and I could tell you that football coaches at state colleges make a million dollars a year, and certainly the transit system powering 10% of American GDP should be worth more than a football coach.

What's silly is the idea that everyone working for the (MTA) deserves such bloated salaries, as if $300k a year is chump change.  I mean I'm still laughing at the idea that the unions argue that they "deserve a raise" just because things are going up.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

If MTA increases fare, NICE Bus and Bee-Line Bus should increase too from $2.75 to $3.00

So does Academy X23/X24 from $6.50 to $7.00 with MTA Express Buses.

Academy has nothing to say about it, since they are contracted to perform those services for the MTA.

 

NICE and Bee-Line, they probably don't really have to, but it increases problems all around if they don't.  Surely, they don't really need to, especially on all routes outside of MTA-area service within their service area.  Someone on a route in eastern Nassau or northern Westchester shouldn't really need to pay the extra amount.  But, in the way the farebox is "shared" under the MetroCard agreements, NICE and Bee-Line would need to add another accounting layer for the extra quarters required on routes serving MTA-area when MetroCards are dipped.  So they would have to total all MetroCard dips, and kick a portion of that quarter into the MetroCard accounting (to whatever amount is part of their contract with the MTA).

 

And certainly the biggest problem lies in the customers themselves.

 

I don't always agree with fare increases, but NY-ers are STILL getting a total BARGAIN, even at $3.00 base fare.  Express Bus should actually stay the same at $6.50, though.

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I don't always agree with fare increases, but NY-ers are STILL getting a total BARGAIN, even at $3.00 base fare.  

Some people have argued that raising the base isn't a good idea because it hurts the poor the most, but I think to myself, who in the hell are these people that use the service so rarely anyway?  I mean if you're elderly you get a half-fare Metrocard so you're not paying the base fare, and if you're disabled/handicapped then I don't think you pay at all, so these must be people that can't hold a job or don't work.  I mean I don't want to sound cold-hearted, but if you work, then you likely will need a pass of some sort, which should cut down your cost burden.  I wish we had a real example of these people so I could further understand.  

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Some people have argued that raising the base isn't a good idea because it hurts the poor the most, but I think to myself, who in the hell are these people that use the service so rarely anyway?  I mean if you're elderly you get a half-fare Metrocard so you're not paying the base fare, and if you're disabled/handicapped then I don't think you pay at all, so these must be people that can't hold a job or don't work.  I mean I don't want to sound cold-hearted, but if you work, then you likely will need a pass of some sort, which should cut down your cost burden.  I wish we had a real example of these people so I could further understand.  

 

This implies that you can scrounge up cash at the beginning of every week or month to pay for the pass. Some people don't get paid on a regular weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.

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