(The New York Daily News published the following article by Pete Donohue.)
NEW YORK — Metropolitan Transportation Authority staffers have finalized much of the final fare- and toll-hike package that the MTA board is expected to approve tomorrow.
The plan, obtained by the Daily News, has a few surprises:
Instead of closing 177 token booths, officials now want to keep all but 35 or 40 part-time booths staffed.
Bridge and tunnel tolls would rise by 50 cents.
Commuter rail fares would rise an average of 25%.
Express bus fares likely would rise to $4 from $3.
But the centerpiece is the $2 bus and subway fare, which could be implemented as early as April 1.
To soften the blow of the first fare hike since 1995, MTA staffers will recommend that the board provide deeper MetroCard discounts.
With the current $63 monthly MetroCard, straphangers get free rides after their 42nd trip.
With a $70 card, they would begin getting bonus rides after the 35th trip – a sort of consolation prize.
“The more you ride, the less you pay,” a top transit source said.
With MTA honchos drafting the plan for a vote, it presumably has the approval of MTA chairman Peter Kalikow and Gov. Pataki, who appointed Kalikow and a majority of the board.
Mayor Bloomberg, who has two appointees on the board, has been sympathetic to the MTA’s budget problems and the need for a fare hike.
That’s because Bloomberg, who is still struggling to fill a $3.5 billion budget gap, believes that a higher fare could let the city reduce its annual $500 million in subsidies to the transit agency.
In November, he said of the MTA, “They don’t have enough money. Join the club.”
The major change in the agency’s plans is the decision not to close 177 token booths.
At public hearings throughout the city, straphangers seemed as upset at the token-booth closings as with the fare hike – saying fewer subway clerks would lead to higher crime.
The News first reported Feb. 24 that transit officials had begun to rethink their token-booth plan because of the public uproar and, later, that some on the list would be spared.
“Of all the things on people’s minds, closing token booths was the one thing that they were most vociferous about,” the top transit source said. “We listen. We’re not idiots. We didn’t think it was a safety concern, but it doesn’t matter. Making customers happy and comfortable is important.”
Closing all 177 booths would have saved $25 million, which the source called fairly meaningless when compared with the MTA’s $1 billion budget deficit.
The 40 or so booths still slated for closure are in low-traffic areas, sources said. After they are shut, transit officials will reexamine whether they should remain shuttered or be reopened.
The MTA board will be briefed today on the proposal – but passage seems all but assured.
Influential board member Barry Feinstein, chairman of the MTA committee that oversees the Transit Authority, predicted the package will pass.
He would not discuss specifics but noted: “If we don’t balance the budget with a fare increase, we have to balance budget with cutting service or screwing around with maintenance, which we did in [the] past, and it turned into a horror because of the damage deferring maintenance caused. … I’m prepared to support the fare increase.”
Independent monitors agree. According to the Fitch Ratings, which closely watches MTA finances for investors, a fare hike is inevitable and is preferable to service and maintenance cuts.
–Subway and bus fare ……….. $2, up 50 cents from $1.50
–Monthly MetroCard ………….. About $70, up from $63
–One-Day Fun Pass ……………….. $6 or $7, up from $4
–Express bus …………… Likely to rise to $4 from $3
–Bridge and tunnel tolls ………………. 50-cent increase At the Triborough Bridge, for example, E-ZPass users will pay $3.50; others will pay $4.
–LIRR and Metro North ….. Fares will rise about 25%
–Token booths ……….. Full-time booths would remain open and 35 to 40 part-time booths would close Originally published on March 5, 2003