Date Issued: September 23, 2010
The Pace Press
MTA Fare Hike Angers and Worries Students
By: Julia Yeung
Since the passing of the bailout plan in 2009, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is proposing to raise fares for all subway riders.
Subway lines V and W have been eliminated and other lines such as the M and G have been reduced. Subway riders now have to wait longer in the station for trains, and service cuts have been issued. Dozens of bus lines have been reduced or eliminated.
Even with these cuts, the MTA has a budget shortfall of around $400 million this year, which leads to the possibility that starting Jan. 2011, commuters can expect a 7.5 percent increase to raise revenue for the MTA, the amount the MTA says it needs to raise without any additional help from Albany.
MTA Chairman Jay Walder to The New York Daily News that he believes that the financial situation they are in will require them to have a fare increase. There are public hearings being held, as required by law, to those commuters who wish to speak up against the fare raise. The full MTA board will vote on the fare hike in late October.
“If they were drastically improving the service, I would be okay with it, but it’s the same or worse,” junior Colton Childs said.
If the fare hike is to pass, it will include a range of charges that would rise. These include a $104 for a 30-day unlimited ride Metrocard, which is an increase from the current $89. Last year the price was raised from $81.
“I think [the fare hike] in general makes everything in general more expensive. It’s hurting the middle class,” senior Patrick Stankard said.
The MTA is also considering eliminating the unlimited ride option altogether and instead having a $99 charge for 90 rides.
A study from the MTA showed figures that 25 percent of all riders who buy the 30-day unlimited Metrocard do not use it enough to breakeven on the $89 purchase. In order to breakeven on their purchase, riders have to use their 30-day Metrocard more than 46 times a month.
The same situation is applied towards unlimited weekly Metrocards. The study shows that millions of people, who are buying the Metrocards, actually are costing themselves more money than the pay-per-ride cards.
The base fare would remain at $2.25, but on the Bonus Pay-Per-Ride trips, the bonus amount is reduced from 15 percent to 7 percent. Other proposed increases include the seven day unlimited pass to raise two dollars from $27 to $29.
The Pace Press
MTA Fare Hike Angers and Worries Students
By: Julia Yeung
Since the passing of the bailout plan in 2009, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is proposing to raise fares for all subway riders.
Subway lines V and W have been eliminated and other lines such as the M and G have been reduced. Subway riders now have to wait longer in the station for trains, and service cuts have been issued. Dozens of bus lines have been reduced or eliminated.
Even with these cuts, the MTA has a budget shortfall of around $400 million this year, which leads to the possibility that starting Jan. 2011, commuters can expect a 7.5 percent increase to raise revenue for the MTA, the amount the MTA says it needs to raise without any additional help from Albany.
MTA Chairman Jay Walder to The New York Daily News that he believes that the financial situation they are in will require them to have a fare increase. There are public hearings being held, as required by law, to those commuters who wish to speak up against the fare raise. The full MTA board will vote on the fare hike in late October.
“If they were drastically improving the service, I would be okay with it, but it’s the same or worse,” junior Colton Childs said.
If the fare hike is to pass, it will include a range of charges that would rise. These include a $104 for a 30-day unlimited ride Metrocard, which is an increase from the current $89. Last year the price was raised from $81.
“I think [the fare hike] in general makes everything in general more expensive. It’s hurting the middle class,” senior Patrick Stankard said.
The MTA is also considering eliminating the unlimited ride option altogether and instead having a $99 charge for 90 rides.
A study from the MTA showed figures that 25 percent of all riders who buy the 30-day unlimited Metrocard do not use it enough to breakeven on the $89 purchase. In order to breakeven on their purchase, riders have to use their 30-day Metrocard more than 46 times a month.
The same situation is applied towards unlimited weekly Metrocards. The study shows that millions of people, who are buying the Metrocards, actually are costing themselves more money than the pay-per-ride cards.
The base fare would remain at $2.25, but on the Bonus Pay-Per-Ride trips, the bonus amount is reduced from 15 percent to 7 percent. Other proposed increases include the seven day unlimited pass to raise two dollars from $27 to $29.
The MTA also has the option instead, to have a one dollar raise for the weekly pass for 22 rides. Also being considered is eliminating the 1-day pass and 14-day passes altogether, since only a small percentage of riders use it.
The MTA may also start charging a $1 fee for each new Metrocard bought at a MTA station or a vending machine, in order to reduce the amount of Metrocards that needs to be produced each year.
The MTA produces around 200 million Metrocards each year and with this proposal the amount could be reduced.
The MTA believe it is a charge that no one has to bring upon themselves if they continue to reuse their Metrocards.
The cuts made this year will save almost $1 million and starting next year, it will save about $4 million.
