Fare Hikes
Streetsblog Basics
Beyond Ravitch: Still Time for a Bolder Plan
As Albany lawmakers ponder which of a half-dozen Ravitch plan variations they might support, the possibility looms that no solution may come in time. New Yorkers could see their fares rise 25 percent while service is cut back -- a twin catastrophe in this tough economic time. Yet no big new ideas are being advanced to protect mass transit users, which is why I believe the time has come for consideration of Ted Kheel’s and my traffic plan.
March 10, 2009
Hire a Construction Worker, Fire a Bus Driver?
It's stimulus package logic: Lay off a bus driver now and hire a construction worker in a couple of months or a year.
January 23, 2009
Congestion Pricing vs. Ravitch Plan: Which is Better for the Boroughs?
Under the Ravitch Plan, driving into Manhattan over the Third Avenue Bridge will be a relative bargain for Richard Brodsky's Westchester constituents.
December 19, 2008
MTA Budget Proposes Severe Service Cuts, Perpetual Fare Hikes
As expected, the proposed 2009 MTA budget is rife with grim news. In addition to various cutbacks at the administrative level, the budget and 2009-2012 financial plan -- minus an infusion of aid from the city, state or federal government -- will have a direct impact on transit customers in the form of service reductions and fare increases. From today's press announcement:
November 20, 2008
Dear Mr. Brodsky: What Now?
In today's Times, Richard Brodsky weighs in on the pitfalls of shortchanging capital needs in the face of the immediate MTA budget crisis.
November 20, 2008
Transit Stimulus Bill Needs Co-Sponsors in Senate
Two weeks ago, Hillary Clinton introduced a bill in the Senate to provide emergency funds for local transit agencies. Since then, the rest of the delegation from New York and New Jersey appears to have lined up behind the legislation. "We believe that Senators Schumer, Lautenberg, and Menendez support it," says Larry Hanley of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which helped to push the bill forward in both chambers of Congress (the House passed it in June). That leaves 56 votes to achieve a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
August 15, 2008
Fuel Costs, Declining Revenues Slam MTA. Will Anyone Face the Facts?
The MTA just released some figures from its preliminary 2009 financial plan. Here's what was actually happening to our transit system while the dailies were focused like a laser beam on board members' travel perks and the CEO's "scandalous" three percent raise:
July 23, 2008
Rising Fuel Costs and Ridership Strain Local Transit Systems Nationwide
Transit agencies all over the country are nearing a state of emergency. At the same time that rising gas prices are leading more Americans to opt for buses and trains, transit operators are being forced to cut service and raise fares due to budget shortfalls.
July 16, 2008
The Brodsky Alternative, Take Two: $6.50 to Enter a Cab
His license plate rationing scheme beloved by none, this afternoon Assemblyman Richard Brodsky offered his second congestion pricing alternative: raising the $2.50 taxi "drop charge" to $6.50, increasing fines for illegal parking and blocking the box, and further cutting the number of parking placards issued to government employees.
February 28, 2008