EDITORIAL
FARE INCREASES
WON’T SAVE MTA
It comes as no surprise that the MTA is considering
possible fare increases this time of year; they
generally occur every two years, and the last one
occurred in the spring of 2019.
Back then, the fare increase sought to keep the
MTA flush with cash needed to fund its operations
and keep the system in good repair. But the fare increase
sought this time around might be considered
an integral part of the authority’s very survival.
The MTA is billions of dollars in the red, thanks
to the COVID-19 pandemic that saw subway ridership
plunge by 90 percent in March and April.
Commuters have slowly returned to the system in
the summer and fall as the city reopened, but they
threaten to disappear again as the second wave of
COVID-19 hits New York City hard.
While the MTA loses revenue, it’s paying tens of
millions to operate at nearly full speed anyway to
keep the city moving. It’s also laboring to keep the
entire system disinfected every night.
And thanks to spiteful Republicans in the White
House and Senate, neither the MTA nor the city have
seen a new infusion of much-needed federal cash in
months.
Even with fare increases on the table, it won’t be
enough for the MTA to close their budget deficit and
avoid the “doomsday budget” cuts to labor and service
that the board outlined at its Nov. 18 meeting.
Still, the MTA pushes forth with myriad fare
increase proposals for the authority and public to
consider — from bumping up the base fare by 2 to
4 percent, to even eliminating seven-day and 30-day
unlimited passes.
There’s never a good time for a fare hike, let
alone now, with ridership coming off the pandemic
nadir and the city struggling to stay open. We get
the MTA’s desperation for funding, but the authority
must ensure that subways and buses are affordable
for all to ride.
Every extra quarter for a fare, or extra dollar
spent on an unlimited pass, just sucks more from
the commuters who are also paying payroll taxes
and other fees to the MTA — and who are also struggling
mightily today.
The simple solution is the only one for the MTA
and for the city: A massive federal bailout that also
defers planned fare increases by a year.
It must happen, and the incoming Biden administration
must do what the outgoing Trump administration
won’t.
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The MTA is in dire need of a massive federal bailout that also defers planned fare increases by a year.
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