MTA board delays fare hike vote
BY MARK HALLUM
The MTA will not be
making any big decisions
on whether New Yorkers
should pay a higher cost
for poorer service on trains
and buses, voting instead
to shelve the controversial
fare hike until February.
At its Jan. 24 meeting,
members of the MTA board
said there should be more
specific plans as to how
the funds, which would
contribute to the estimated
$40 billion needed for systemmodernizations,
would be
utilized before raise the fare
from $2.75 to $3.
“It is clear that our system
needs more money, it is clear
that our system needs to be
upgraded. There’s two ways
to do that,” said MTA board
member Scott Rechler. “One
is to raise fares and tolls and
congestion pricing and other
revenue sources. The other is
to get more out of every dollar
by operating and investing our
capital more efficiently… the
public has lost all confidence
the MTA’s ability to actually
The MTA decided to hold off on voting on the controversial fair
hike. Photo by Mark Hallum
invest their capital wisely.”
Board member Lawrence
Schwartz said he would
not vote in favor of a fare
increase unless there were
service improvements.
In December, NYC Transit
President Andy Byford and
other MTA reps held public
hearings in Queens and
Brooklyn regarding the
proposed fare hike in which
many residents spoke out
against on the grounds that
they were not getting improved
service in return.
Byford had said it himself
November that raising fares
was “anathema to me” with
the agency was in no position
to ask riders to pay more with
ridership down due to poor
service, but may have no
other choice.
“So it’s critical for us, if we’re
going to start asking for funding
to upgrade our system to a 21st
century transit system to fund
Byford’s Fast Forward plan…
that we can prove to the public
and regain their trust that we can
invest wisely,” Rechler said after
acting MTA Chair Fernando
Ferrer said the fare hike decision
would be considered at the
February board meeting.
During Gov. Cuomo’s
State of the State address,
however, he announced that
congestion pricing would
finally have a place in the
2020 executive budget more
than a year after the FixNYC
panel had provided a proposal
to charge cars $11 and trucks
$25 to enter Manhattan below
60th Street.
The proposal has come
with mass support from
advocates and politicians,
except those in northeast and
southwestern Queens.
The Riders Alliance,
which has been one of the
loudest voices advocating for
congestion pricing to address
the long-standing issues facing
New Yorkers, said the rollout
of tolls on vehicles entering
the commercial district of
Manhattan should precede
any fare hike is incurred on
public transit commuters.
“Governor Cuomo and
the legislature need to pass
congestion pricing to fix the
subway before we discuss any
sort of fare hike. The transit
system is valuable to all New
Yorkers and riders shouldn’t
bear the brunt of a generation
of state disinvestment,”
Raskin said. “Amid the transit
crisis, Governor Cuomo needs
to lead the way to restoring
safe and reliable service. He
needs to fund essential transit
upgrades like new signals and
train cars and elevators, and
the first step toward achieving
all of those goals is to pass
an MTA funding plan that
includes congestion pricing in
the upcoming state budget.”
The MTA is currently
looking at a $1 billion deficit
by 2022, but congestion pricing
may bring up to $15 billion to
the agency if rolled out in time.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4564.
Catalina Cruz sworn in as state Assemblywoman
1
1 1
1: New York State Court of Appeals Associate Justice Jenny Rivera administers the oath of office to state Assemblywoman
Catalina Cruz. 2: Cruz speaks to the crowd at her inaugration. 3: Cruz is flanked by Rivera (l.) and Judge Carmen Velasquez of the
New York State Civil Court. Photos by Bruce Adler
TIMESLEDGER,TIMESLEDGER.COM FEB. 1-7, 2019 5
/schnepsmedia.com
/TIMESLEDGER,TIMESLEDGER.COM
