Three Dollars To Ride The Subway???

I knew the moment the M.T.A.-sponsored signs on the subway said that the $1 fare in 1986 was like $1.89 today that we were in trouble. Then in the last week more of those advertisements tooted the M.T.A.'s horn the warning signs were blaring. Now we find out just how bad the damaged to the straphangers of New York will be....and yeah, it's very, very bad.

From The NY Daily News:

Straphangers could be slammed with a fare hike that jacks the cost of a ride to as much as $3 next year - unless there's a state bailout, a Daily News analysis reveals.[...]

The $2 base fare is the MTA's most likely target because it hasn't climbed in five years, while unlimited-ride MetroCards have been boosted three times, most recently in March.

At the time, critics howled that regular riders were being forced to dig deeper, while out-of-towners - who tend to pay per ride - were let off the hook.

Melissa Garcia, 22, a college student from Washington Heights, shuddered at the thought of paying more to ride the subways.

"The economy is in shambles," she said. "There are no jobs. The price of food is going up. Now, they want to hit us up with this? Please. It's horrendous."

Yes Melissa, it is horrendous and a shame that the burden is being placed on those that ride the subway. We'll be getting less and paying more for it. Unfortunately, with a Governor that is looking to cut $1.4 billion from health care and education budgets in the state, I do not see much hope for a state bailout for the M.T.A. The problem was created long ago when it was decided that real estate taxes should fund our mass-transit system and now we are dealing with that error in judgment. The only thing that seems to be able to save us would be a slice of that Federal bailout to come our way, but that is still very much a dream and not even close to reality.