Straphangers Campaign Calls Out The Government
Yesterday, The Straphangers Campaign called out the government to help the MTA. NY1 had a brief article about The Straphangers Campaign’s feelings about what should be done. This also includes some details of what the fare hike should be. Here is the brief article courtesy of NY1:
The New York Public Interest Research Group’s Straphanger Campaign is proposing that local governments chip in to ease the MTA’s financial woes.
The Straphanger Campaign wants a fare hike of 10 cents instead of 25. They also suggest raising the price of a monthly pass by $2 instead of $6.
Straphangers say the state, city, and suburban counties served by the MTA should pay the difference, instead of making customers responsible for raising the $262 million that the increase would generate.
Here is an updated article courtesy of today’s edition of AMNY:
A rider advocacy group shot back Tuesday at the MTA’s two proposed fare hike scenarios, suggesting what it calls “a better way” to finance budget gaps in the years to come.
The Straphangers Campaign proposed a plan that cuts the base fare’s increase from a quarter to a dime and keeps the monthly MetroCard cost from going above $78. The Straphangers’ plan said if the city and state shoulder some of the burden of looming MTA budget deficits, more modest fare hikes are possible.
“Right now the burden is on the riders, and that’s not fair,” spokesman Gene Russianoff said.
The MTA offered two fare hike possibilities earlier this week, both raised the base fare to $2.25, while one offered discounts to riders who commute outside of peak travel times. The agency also outlined toll and commuter rail hikes.
The MTA has said technical challenges with MetroCard machines prevent a hike in anything other than 25-cent increments. The agency in July proposed fare hikes in 2008 and 2010, citing looming deficits.
The last hike to the base fare was in 2003. The MTA has said next year¹s proposed hike staves off future, more drastic increases and cuts in service.
“Certainly my preference would be not to do a fare and toll increase, but my responsibility is to ensure that the MTA is sound financially,” MTA executive director Elliot Sander said Tuesday.
I am not sure if their proposal for the fare hike is a good idea. I am of the belief that I rather get the whole thing out of the way now. I know the MTA & if they were to go with The Straphangers Campaign’s suggestions, they will sneak in another fare hike in 2 years. Who really feels like dealing with that? I know I don’t!
The Straphangers Campaign is 100% right about government needing to provide more funding. NYC gets the royal screw job when it comes to transportation funding from the local to the federal level.
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