Statement on Proposed MTA Fare Options

STATEMENT ON PROPOSED MTA FARE OPTIONS
September 24, 2008

Today, the MTA unveiled two potential fare hike options for 2008.

One would raise the base fare from $2 to $2.25 and the unlimited-ride passes 4%, taking a 30-day pass from $76 to $79. The other would offer a new pay-per-ride MetroCard that would offer peak ($2.00) and off-peak ($1.50) fares and raise the passes between 6.5% and 8%, taking the 30-day pass from $76 to between $81 and $82.

The Straphangers Campaign has several reactions.

1) The 25-cent increase in the base fare is too much. So is the $82 30-day MetroCard. They are too great a burden to put on many vulnerable New Yorkers. The Campaign has proposed a more modest 10-cent fare increase and a more modest $78 30-day MetroCard pass. The MTA plans to raise $262 million from its proposed fare hike. Our plan calls for the riders to pick up half the $262 million and to have the City, State and surrounding counties pick up the other half. There has been no new direct State aid or City aid to the MTA since 1995.

2) We appreciate the MTA's proposal to offer 14-day unlimited-ride MetroCards under both its proposals. The Campaign has been urging a 14-day pass since 2003. The pass allows lower income riders to have greater access to a better discount.

3) We give the MTA credit for thinking out of the box. Would it be a good idea to provide peak and off-peak discounts? That raises a lot of fair questions worth debating, such as: What would be the peak period? What's the impact on riders that do not have flexibility on their job hours? Would a 50-cent incentive help reduce overcrowding and spread out ridership during the peak? How will the MTA handle the lines that may develop around the beginning and end of the peak?

For more information, contact: Gene Russianoff at (917) 575-9434

Fare Hike 08: What the Straphangers Campaign Says | What the MTA Says | Public Hearing Information