Here we go again: The MTA says fares will go up and service will get cut back. The Daily News talks to some New Yorkers, some of whom understand that the MTA has to do what it needs to do while others are angry. Gothamist feels the same way: We love the subway and bus system that helps us get around, but, really, MTA, you do know how to put us through the wringer. Not that we'd want to be in their shoes, figuring out the mess that this their budget. The Times explains how the MTA's debt went out of control, being a combination of lack of state funding and the way the MTA borrowed its money. The MTA says there won't be another fare increase until 2007, but we'll see if that's true once 2005 rolls around. The Straphanger's Gene Russianoff says, "If there is a fare increase, it has a name. It will be the George E. Pataki fare increase." Governor Pataki, though, is probably on cloud nine, as the Bush administration agreed to give the city $2 billion for the $6 billion project of creating a rail link between lower Manhattan and JFK.
Gothamist thought the Daily News' breakdown of what's happening with fare increases and service cutbacks was excellent - here it is below:
SUBWAYS & BUSES
WHAT'S GOING UP
30-Day Unlimited-Ride MetroCard .............. $70 to $76
7-Day Unlimited-Ride MetroCard ................ $21 to $24
Express Bus Fare .......................................... $4 to $6
WHAT STAYS THE SAME
Base bus and subway fare ...................................... $2
Bonus MetroCard ............................. $10 for six trips
1-Day Unlimited MetroCard ..................................... $7
COMMUTER RAILS
WHAT'S GOING UP
LIRR and Metro-North fares .................... an average 5%
BRIDGES & TUNNELS
WHAT'S GOING UP
Cash tolls at major crossings like the Triborough Bridge .......................... $4 to $4.50
Minor crossings like Henry Hudson Bridge ... $2 to $2.25
(E-ZPass users get a 50-cent discount)
Verrazano Bridge cash tolls ................ $8 to $9
(toll paid one way only; E-ZPass users get a $1 discount)
New monthly E-ZPass account fee .......................... $1
CUTBACKS
- Close 49 full-time token booths and all 115 part-time booths.
- Add as much as three minutes between scheduled bus arrivals on some routes with available seats during off-peak times.
- Shorten the G line to make Court Square its last stop to the north.
- Eliminate conductor positions on the G and L lines.
Gothamist on this latest round of fare hikes.
