MTA CEO: We Will Not Raise Fares This Year
Earlier today, MTA Board Chairman & CEO Jay H. Walder appeared on the John Gambling show to discuss the current state of the MTA in terms of finances & service cuts. During his appearance, he announced that the agency will be sticking to its schedule & not increasing fares this year. Plans are still in place for MetroCard & commuter train tickets to rise in January 2011.
Let’s first take a look at a report by Pete Donohue which will appear in tomorrow’s New York Daily News:
The MTA will not raise fares ahead of schedule but will stick to its plan to hike MetroCard and commuter train tickets in January, Chairman Jay Walder said yesterday.
“It will not come earlier,” Walder said. “We’re going to hold to the schedule.”
Walder’s comments on the the John Gambling Show on WOR am radio marked the first time he said unequivocally that fares would not increase this year. The top executive at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority previously said the agency intended to stick to the 2011 schedule.
The MTA’s four-year financial plan envisions fares and tolls going up by 7.5%. It’s expected to be higher because of state budget cuts and weak tax revenues.
Click here for the complete report.
Click here to download the podcast from Mr. Walder’s appearance today on the John Gambling Show. The podcast is just shy of 24 minutes long.
This will probably be celebrated by a few but realistically it is not a big deal as January 2011 is right around the corner. If the bill that passed the State Senate gets through the Assembly, I would expect the fare hikes to be even greater.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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[…] the end of the last month, MTA CEO & Board Chairman Jay Walder announced that there would be no fare hikes this year even with the financial crisis continuing to worsen. However as I noted, this was not a […]