Mayor Bloomberg Just Doesn’t Get It
While I usually don’t let Mayor Bloomberg get to me as I can usually understand his thinking, I must admit he has me saying WTF to myself. As you all know by now, part of the MTA’s “doomsday scenario” called for express bus fares to rise from $5 to $7.50. However Mayor Bloomberg has informed his MTA Board representatives to come up with a way to keep the fare at $5. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:
Mayor Bloomberg has told the MTA board members he appoints to look for ways to save express bus riders from sweeping planned fare hikes and service cuts, sources said.
The mayor wants the four city-controlled board members to push to keep the express bus fare at $5 and limit service reductions, even as subway and commuter rail riders face big looming fare hikes, sources said.
Bloomberg has told aides that express bus riders should get priority because they often lack readily available transit options to get to and from their jobs in Manhattan.
Click here for the complete report.
It is about 4:30 in the morning so I will keep this brief as I have meetings to attend this morning. I have to ask WTF is Bloomberg thinking with this? After reading his logic, I can understand why many feel he is out of touch with the everyday New Yorker.
His logic is flawed in feeling express bus riders are more deserving of a fare break versus non-express bus commuters. Not all customers have other options outside of their local bus or subway route. So should the fare stay the same for them as well? He would obviously answer no but I would immediately grill him as to why not. Most express buses do not get that high of ridership as it is. Lets couple this with the fact that some routes travel in areas that have other options for commuters.
Yes, the commute for some might be longer taking the subway into Manhattan but should that be enough of a reason to warrant a fare break? I say absolutely not as in this case their use of the express bus is a luxury, not a necessity. I am more sympathetic to lines that serve areas with next to no other options. However I can’t sympathize for riders of lines who have many other options.
A good example of what I would call “luxury lines” are just about every express bus that serves Southern Brooklyn. Most of those lines are a mere few blocks away from subway service almost their entire runs in the borough. Why should riders of these lines get a break when they are using a service out of luxury instead of necessity. Mayor Bloomberg really needs to get with the program & realize that helping out those who need it the least is not the right thing to do.
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Bloomberg only helps those who need it least, usually the billionaire boys club he heaps sweetheart real estate deals on every day that go unreported.
Anyone who votes for this horrible human being for a third term after he has brought the right to run again against the will of the people is an idiot.