MTA Hikes Get First Public Hearing

Facing a $900 million deficit, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) held its first public hearing.
MTA Hikes Get First Public Hearing
NO HIKES: Transit activists protest ahead of an MTA public hearing on Monday at the Cooper Union in East Village. (Henry Lam/The Epoch Times)
Evan Mantyk
9/13/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/mtaprotest.jpg" alt="NO HIKES: Transit activists protest ahead of an MTA public hearing on Monday at the Cooper Union in East Village. (Henry Lam/The Epoch Times)" title="NO HIKES: Transit activists protest ahead of an MTA public hearing on Monday at the Cooper Union in East Village. (Henry Lam/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1814806"/></a>
NO HIKES: Transit activists protest ahead of an MTA public hearing on Monday at the Cooper Union in East Village. (Henry Lam/The Epoch Times)
NEW YORK—Facing a $900 million deficit, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) held its first public hearing Monday night to get feedback on proposed fare hikes. The hearing, at Cooper Union in the East Village, was the first of nine.

Even though service cuts went into effect earlier this year, the MTA has said the hikes are necessary to make ends meet.

The current plan is to hike fares and tolls by approximately 7.5 percent, which means monthly MetroCard fees would go up to $104 from $89 and single ride fares would go up to $2.50 from $2.25.

The MTA is also considering implementing ride caps. For instance, a monthly MetroCards would only cover 90 rides and weekly MetroCards would only cover 22 rides.

The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is holding Albany at least partially responsible for the hikes.

“We also want to make it clear that we hold the New York state Legislature and Gov. Paterson responsible for the punishing treatment riders will have received in the last year,” reads a statement from NYPIRG released on Monday.

NYPIRG says that the public money dedicated to transit by Albany was recklessly cut. The taxes that raised the money, it contends, should have remained in effect.

“In December 2009 the state legislature cut $143 million in taxes already dedicated to transit from the MTA. This was followed by a sharp downturn in the revenues coming from dedicated transit taxes. Those taxes called for the various beneficiaries of transit to contribute to the MTA, including riders, drivers, property sellers, and employers,” reads the statement.

Both the MTA and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli have focused on the MTA’s overtime costs, which have ballooned to over $600 million in the last few years. The MTA has blamed the union’s work rules for the high price tag and the union has blamed layoffs.

Currently, DiNapoli is performing a “forensic” audit of the MTA’s books, which the MTA has welcomed.

“Our groups continue to urge the MTA and the union representatives of its workforce to find common ground,” said NYPIRG.
Evan Mantyk is an English teacher in New York and President of the Society of Classical Poets.
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