When super storm Sandy wreaked havoc on New Jersey and New York, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which manages 24 subway lines, 16 commuter rail lines and 338 buses, as well as bridges and tunnels in New York City and the surrounding areas had already determined that there is to be another fare increase, the third such increase since 2008. Surely something needs to be done by New Yorkers to stop this from happening.
Why should those who rely on this service have to suffer another fare hike? All this at a time when unemployment is still high, along with many other costs of living expenses increasing, and wages across the city remain stagnant.
In July this year, the Associated Press reported that the MTA had projected slight budget surpluses in 2012 and 2013 but also said that deficits are expected to return in the three years to follow. Furthermore, the MTA is looking for the 2013 hike to bring in $450 million a year and the 2015 hike to bring in $500 million. They didn’t release specifics for how the tolls and fares would be increased.
If these proposed fare increases are unavoidable shouldn’t they be at least aimed towards those who can afford it, like those who purchase monthly passes? Would those in the higher echelons of the MTA ever consider a percentage cut in their own salaries; so as to reduce the current MTA deficit, which now stands at $2.7 billion?
In July this year, the Associated Press reported that the MTA had projected slight budget surpluses in 2012 and 2013 but also said that deficits are expected to return in the three years to follow. Furthermore, the MTA is looking for the 2013 hike to bring in $450 million a year and the 2015 hike to bring in $500 million. They didn’t release specifics for how the tolls and fares would be increased.
The most recent fare increases implemented by the MTA occurred on December 30 2010, when the daily subway and bus fare went from $2.00 to $2.25 per ride, and the monthly fare was increased to $104.00 from $89.00. The MTA’s final decision on which type of fare to increase will be in November and likely take affect on March 1 2013. It is very likely that it will be the daily MetroCards that will be increased of 25 cents per trip. Unfortunately, raising the per-trip fare disproportionately affects poorer New Yorkers.
The first time I used the MTA in New York City it cost $1.25 and it was with a token, a type of coin that was similar to a quarter but had a hole in it. That was in 1994 and I had just arrived and settled in the Bronx, and my first job as a porter meant that my week started on a Friday at 3:00 p.m., and ended on a Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., The almost two hour commute to and from work wasn’t easy but somewhat convenient on the subway, and based on my earnings at that time this was the only mode of transportation I could afford. It is and still viewed by many other cities to be one of the cheapest public transportation options anywhere. That is if you can afford it. The many New Yorkers who earn minimum wage and below most certainly will feel this proposed increase in their budgets. Mass transit is not a luxury item but a necessity.
Not much has really changed during my eighteen years riding the MTA, especially in relation to service disruptions. It was very frustrating back then trying to get home from work late at night and on weekends, and finishing my shift even just a few minutes behind schedule could mean waiting for an extended period on scorching summer platforms or bundled up like a mommy in winter on frigid overhead station platforms with no protection. Now, I don’t work such irregular hours but do feel compassion for the workers who do, especially when I see the posters outlining the various service changes in many subway stations.
The MTA has clearly made the calculation that serving those who work and use the trains in off hours, on holidays and weekends, are less valuable customers. In an aim to improve service they have cut train service on many subway lines to accommodate necessary upgrades, that they schedule from 10:00 p.m., onwards — with little regard for late night shift workers and the weekend disruptions that begin at 11:59 p.m. on Friday\’s and run until Monday 5:00 a.m. Therefore although fewer people overall use the system at that time – But still, the effect is without question on the poorer demographic who suffer most.
According to NY1 News the MTA Chairman and CEO, Joe Lhota, has stated just this past week that many New Yorkers do not pay the base fare anyway because they purchase weekly or monthly-unlimited metro cards. Lhota was also quoted as saying that “I’m concerned about the middle class in the city and the folks who commute in within the boroughs and those coming in and out of Manhattan. We need to try to keep the raises to a minimum.” Interestingly Lhota had no mention of the New Yorkers who were earning much less than the middle class.
To draw attention to the fare hike Brooklyn commuter, Stefanie Gray, attempted to travel to every stop in the subway system. She had hoped to hit all 468 stations in less than one day. The twenty-four-year old was trying to do it faster than anyone’s ever done it and to make the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest trip through the subway system. According to NBC News Gray had two friends with her: Stevie Summerise, who collected signatures from witnesses, and Meredith Sladek, a co-worker from Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit known for needling the MTA about rising prices. Gray was also striving to get 50,000 New Yorkers to sign a petition asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to stop the fare hike. She claimed to NY1 News that more than 15,000 have already signed it.
The current record stands at 22 hours, 52 minutes and 36 seconds and was set in 2010. Gray told NBC News that if she breaks the record, she’ll make history and get lots of press and the attention will affect the MTA’s plan to raise subway and bus fares next March. The journey has rules; they must take time stamped photographs at each stop and gather signatures from witnesses. They started at noon on Tuesday on the 1/2/3 line in Penn Station, and by Thursday morning Gray had updated her Twitter feed about her efforts, claiming how the ride had been so much fun and that she’d do it again, but that she didn’t break the record.
Anyone who is interested in voicing an opinion or concern with the MTA and about these proposed increases needs to act fast, and can do so by attending the following public hearings at the following locations:
Tuesday November 13 in Baruch College, New York, New York, and Grand Concourse Bronx, New York.
Wednesday November 14, in Newburgh, New York, and Staten Island, New York.
Thursday, November 15, in Yonkers, New York, and Flushing, New York.
