MTA officials are contemplating an increase in fares for next year despite a billion dollar surplus. They claim that because of a massive debt service (around $32 billion) most of that extra money needs to go there. The New York Times wrote an article today on the story, showing opposition the increase by State Senator Dean G. Skelos (R-Long Island) but countered his arguments with a "measured response" by Straphangers Campaign Representative Gene Russianoff. The NYT made it seem like accepting a small fare increase now would be better than an even larger toll in 2009 (6.5% vs. 15%).
But hold on a second, there is more to this than the Times lets on. First of all, service is terrible on the subways. My friends in Brooklyn refer to the F train as the F*** train and I've got plenty of shit to say about the Lexington local by me. All the lines have their problems and it doesn't seem like much is being done about service yet they want to raise rates while having more cash than they have ever had???
Oh and another thing, the Times grossly misrepresented Russianoff and the Straphangers Campaign. What did they actually have to say about this mess? Not quite what the Times lets on. Here's a little snippet from their press release yesterday:
Who should contribute to solving the MTA's financial woes?
The MTA now receives billions in financial support from riders through fares, motorists through tolls and gas taxes, and corporations, consumers and property owners, all through dedicated transit taxes. That makes sense. All who benefit from the biggest transit system in the U.S. should support it.
Shouldn't riders pay the whole tab?
Riders are already paying more than their fare share. In 2005, MTA told federal transit officials that the fare burden on its riders was 58% - with subways at 68% and buses at 42%. The national average for big transit systems is 40%. MTA CEO Lee Sander told a state legislative committee this January: "In 2007, MTA expects to generate $5.4 billion, or 60%, of its total $9.2 billion in operating revenues primarily from fares and tolls. This is a phenomenally high fare box return."
How do we make sure riders aren't the only ones asked to help out?
Any proposal to raise fares should only be seriously considered if and when the state legislature approves Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing proposal and/or other transit aid to raise billions of dollars to fix transit and take pressure off the budget. As was the case in 2003, the decision on fares should not be made before the early spring - specifically no earlier than March 31st, 2008, the date the state legislature is due to decide the fate of congestion pricing.
Yes, we need to wait for the congestion-pricing situation to complete its course. Those revenues would greatly offset the need for any rate increase. Meanwhile we pay for a greater percentage of the MTA's costs than any other city in the country. Financing the debt should not be laid on the backs of subway riders, especially those that have the most trouble paying for it.
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