MTA Statement On Student MetroCards
In my previous post, I opined on the potential deal between the MTA & lawmakers which would save Student MetroCards for at least a year. A few hours after my entry, the MTA sent me an official statement about this very topic:
The economic downturn has created a fiscal crisis for the State, City and the MTA. The MTA has been doing its part to lower costs by reducing administrative staff, renegotiating with our suppliers and working to reduce overtime. But these actions are not enough to close an $800 million budget shortfall, and we’ve been forced to make tough choices, like cutting service and eliminating free and discounted MetroCards for New York City students.
The MTA believes that school children should not have to pay to travel to school, but that funding this transportation is the responsibility of the State and City, as it is throughout the state. For the past few months we have worked closely with the Governor, Mayor and legislative leaders to address this issue. The City has held its contribution steady at $45 million, while the Governor and Legislature recognized the State’s role by restoring $25 million.
While we had hoped that the State and City would pay the total cost of this program, we recognize the very difficult financial environment for not only the State and City, but for the hundreds of thousands of families in New York City who frankly could not afford to pay the added cost of transit fares for school transportation. We heard loud and clear at our public hearings, in meetings with student leaders and in protests around the city, that charging students would have a life-changing impact on the ability of New Yorkers to receive a quality education.
In light of these unbearable impacts, the MTA has decided to abandon the proposal to charge students for travel to and from school. As a result, the budget deficit that we are facing will increase, but the alternative is worse. Further actions needed to close this gap will be addressed when our preliminary financial plan is released in July.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Deal Close To Saving Student MetroCards
One of the most talked about aspects of the MTA’s financial woes was the discontinuation of Student MetroCards. There were two clear camps on this, those who feel the students should not lose their free rides to & from school, & those who feel that enough is enough with the handouts. According to an exclusive report in the New York Post by Tom Namako & Brendan Scott, the MTA & state lawmakers are close to a deal that will save the Student MetroCards for the upcoming school year:
The MTA and state lawmakers are finalizing a bill to save free student MetroCards for the next school year – a deal that could sink the transit agency further into debt.
Under the agreement, the state will contribute $25 million to the program, the city will give $45 million and the MTA will foot the remaining $144 million, as first reported by The Post.
Lawmakers are working to insert the agreement into a budget bill, expected to be introduced late tonight. The measure, which is not considered controversial, will likely be voted on tomorrow.
The agency is expected to make up the money used for the fares by further fattening its $400 million budget shortfall for 2010 and 2011, sources said.
That could mean more dire cost-saving measures.
Transit brass originally proposed cutting the student passes in December as a way to save money.
The state contribution to the free-card program would actually decrease from the current $45 million.
Click here for the complete report.
I have mixed emotions about this. I understand the need for students to get to & from school & I want them to be able to do just that. On the other hand, it does bother me that a good percentage of the students could care less about their education & run rampant throughout our transit system on the taxpayers dollar. What really pains me is how the MTA would once again get the short-end of the stick in terms of the money dished out for these MetroCards.
If the city & state are so adamant about students being able to ride, they should pony up 100% of the money necessary to provide this service. Why should the MTA have to foot the bill when they are clearly undergoing financial hardship mainly due to the inadequate funding from these same lawmakers. These lawmakers could honestly careless about the students as they only support this luxury to look good to their constituents with zero regard for the MTA & overall riding public’s bottom line.
When the MTA is forced to look into more service cuts or fare hikes due to their budget woes, these same lawmakers, wanting the MTA to foot the majority of the cost for this program, will be the first to cry about the MTA’s out of control costs.. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! When will these lawmakers learn that you can’t have it both ways or do they just not care as long as they get what they want behind closed doors while saving face & keeping their position & status? So sad…….
xoxo Transit Blogger
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New York Daily News Changes Fare Evasion Tune
Fare evasion especially on Select Bus Service is a topic I have opined on in numerous entries. Most of those entries focused on reports from the New York Daily News which highlighted how fare evasion on the Bx12’s Select Bus Service has been a problem since its inception. So with that in mind, I find it very interesting how the same newspaper prints a report about how MTA Bus Inspectors are regining in on fare beaters. Pete Donohue has more:
The 26-year-old woman rolled the dice – and lost.
She boarded a Bx12 bus in the Bronx last week without first paying the $2.25 fare at a curbside machine. A few stops later, an NYC Transit inspector stepped on, asked riders for receipts – and wrote the woman a $100 ticket for fare-beating.
Welcome to the honor payment system – with teeth.
The Daily News got an inside look at how Transit’s Eagle Team of inspectors keep fare evasion in check along the Select Bus Service route in the Bronx – and how they’ll soon do the same on Manhattan’s East Side.
Some straphangers suspect the system, designed to speed bus travel by having riders pay at the curb, will encourage more rampant fare-beating. Transit officials and Mayor Bloomberg, though, disagree, pointing to their special team of inspectors.
Every day, at least two pairs of inspectors ask riders along the Bx12 line for their receipts. And several times a week, they perform a “surge,” stopping a string of buses at a stop and asking every passenger for proof they paid.
Transit officials say fare evasion has dropped on the line since Select Bus Service started, from 13% to 10%, due to the roaming inspectors and the greater threat of fines.
Click here for the complete report.
I have a huge problem with this report. How does the New York Daily News print report after report on their undercover investigations highlighting fare evasion problems with the Bx12’s Select Bus Service yet turn around & print a report highlighting how it is not that big of a problem. Either it is or it is not, so which is it? The investigative reports & official statistics show it is a problem. One fare lost is too many even if it is unrealistic to expect 100% payment success.
The paper clearly saw it was a problem on numerous occasions & the MTA expected it to be a problem all along. This kind of journalism comes off more as a press release versus actual reporting of the issue at hand. I think that is a huge mistake & undermines a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Fare Beaters To Face $100 Tickets
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Mom Leaves Infant Son At Queens Subway Station
Further proof that our society is declining in terms of the quality of the human race, a mother was arrested for purposely leaving her infant son at a Queens subway station. Joe Kemp of the New York Daily News has more in this brief report:
A Queens mom was arrested Saturday and charged with leaving her infant boy at a Jamaica subway station, police said.
Antonia Lopez, who was slapped with felony abandonment of a child charges, is accused of leaving her 5-day-old son at the Sutphin Blvd. F train station about 8 p.m. on Friday, police said.
The healthy infant – who was wrapped in a blanket and left near a MetroCard machine – was taken to Jamaica Hospital after he was discovered by a straphanger.
Under the state’s Safe Haven law the infant could have been dropped off at FDNY or NYPD stations or a hospital without fear of prosecution.
Stories like these absolutely disgust me. If you have no way of taking care of a child, take all precautions to not have one in the first place. Way too many morons are reproducing in our society which is why the amount of quality human beings continues to decrease year after year.
A commenter to the report made an interesting point. They wondered if many of these people know about the Safe Haven law. They opined that the people who usually leave their babies behind are ones who are not exactly media savvy or knowing of laws. This could be the case although it still does not excuse the horrific actions by this woman or anyone else for that matter who has done this. I hope that this young boy ends up with legitimate family who know how to properly take care of him.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diversions 06-14-10
I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all the expired weekend diversions. The latest planned diversions for the week & long term in some cases are listed. The next update will take place on Thursday after the MTA sends me the upcoming weekend’s diversions. Don’t forget to print out a copy to carry with you or access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. As always, stay safe while riding.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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