State Assemblyman Angry With The MTA
Not so long ago, the MTA talked about plans to impose a $1 surcharge. The surcharge would take place when a rider would go to refill non-expired unlimited or pay-per-ride card from within the system. The agency feels they can net $20M annually off the surcharge while cutting back on the littering of Metrocards which are commonplace throughout the system.
However the agency can chalk up Bayside Democratic State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein as someone who is not a fan of the idea. He feels the agency should reconsider. Nathan Duke of the Bayside Patch has more:
State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, is calling on the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reconsider a proposed $1 surcharge on new MetroCards purchased at Long Island Rail Road vending machines.
The assemblyman said the proposal, which was included in the MTA’s preliminary budget for 2013, said the charge “disproportionately” affects commuters in northeast Queens.
“Unlike MetroCard vending machines, LIRR vending machines are incapable of refilling previously purchased cards,” Braunstein said.
Braunstein said many residents in Bayside, Little Neck and Douglaston purchased their cards at vending machines in LIRR stations because they are the only available outlets.
Click here for the complete article.
This honestly seems like a nickel & dime move to further stick it to riders. The one & only positive would be that it should help with the littering problem. However that is not enough to justify sticking it to riders with an unnecessarily high surcharge.
The cards don’t even cost the agency 20 cents each to print yet we have to pay over 5x more to get a new one when the situation arises? Riders who need to get replacement cards are getting shafted even more as they have to wait for a refund & then shell out for a new card as their old one malfunctioned often due to no fault of their own.
All this surcharge screams to me is that the agency needs to get with the time & get rid of the severely outdated MetroCard fare payment system. Technology has given us better options yet as usual the MTA is way behind its peers.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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