It was bound to happen sooner or later amidst the budgetary mess that New York is in.
That MetroCard you are holding in your wallet, purse, pocket or cellphone case is going to be getting heavier. The M.T.A., the agency most New Yorkers love to bemoan is going to be giving us more misery by charging more for what they are giving us less of. As we are still grieving the loss of the W, the V and parts of the M and the G, news of fare increases has already hit the ears of straphangers everywhere.
From The N.Y. Times:
By Jan. 1, when the increases would take effect, the heaviest users of the city’s subways and buses could be paying as much as $104 instead of $89 for a monthly system pass. Drivers who use E-ZPass on many of the city’s tunnels and bridges would pay 10 percent more per trip, and rail commuters could face the frustration of longer lines to buy tickets.
The unlimited subway and bus MetroCard, which pushed ridership to record levels after its introduction in the 1990s and revolutionized the way New Yorkers imagine their transit system, could also be on the way out. One proposal would place limits on how many rides could be taken on monthly and weekly passes.
All sorts of punitive measures are also included, such as steep ticket-refund charges, expiration dates on tickets will be pushed up and higher fares for all the commuter rails too. Of course this is tentative for now, as the vote will not be for a couple of months. Yet the agency's announcement of these high numbers means that no matter how the cookie crumbles, the taste will be sour come January when the rates take effect.
I think this may finally be the straw that breaks this camel's back.....I'm finally going to my sedentary arse to the bike shop.
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