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MTA Fare Hikes Enacted, Effective May 31

NEW YORK CITY-With no bailout from Albany forthcoming, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board has approved steep fare hikes and service cuts to balance its budget.

By Cody Lyon | Updated on March 26, 2009

NEW YORK CITY-Unless Albany acts before May 31, the eight million New Yorkers who ride public transit each day will be served up another dose of economic reality, thanks to a doomsday budget vote by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday. At the same time, the few hundred thousand motorists who cross on currently toll-free bridges will continue to do so.

Voting 12-1, board members passed a balanced budget, required by law, that sets in motion a 50-cent fare hike per one-way trip on MTA subways and buses, higher fares for Long Island and Westchester commuters, longer waits on train and bus platforms and increased tolls on city bridges. The subway and bus fare increases would take effect May 31, with higher fares and service cuts being phased in later.

Hardly a surprise, the board’s move came after lawmakers in Albany failed to reach a solution or compromise plan to save the MTA from its crippling billion dollar-plus deficit. Wednesday’s meeting and vote, broadcast live on the MTA’s homepage, showed a marked level of frustration as both board members and citizens debated the transit agency’s past choices, the impact of current economic conditions and the city’s future public transit options. Several speakers railed at the MTA for what they saw as risky participation in a borrowers culture to cover much of its capital improvement budget needs.

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