Crowds and Long Delays Fray Subway System and Riders’ Nerves
By Emma G. Fitzsimmons on March 19, 2015
…On Sunday, the base fare will rise to $2.75, from $2.50, the latest in what the authority has said will be regular — and necessary — increases.
Transit advocates say that while they understand the angst over another fare increase, they are focused on securing money from state and city officials for the authority’s capital plan, which includes many of the very upgrades that would bring meaningful improvement to commutes. The plan proposes $32 billion in spending over five years, but it is $15 billion short — the largest funding gap ever and a striking sign of the difference between what the system needs and what the authority can afford.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, has called the plan “bloated” and has not addressed the funding gap, instead publicly drawing attention to other infrastructure projects, including a new Tappan Zee Bridge and his proposal for an AirTrain to La Guardia Airport. But the authority’s chairman, Thomas F. Prendergast, has argued that the measures outlined in the capital plan are essential, such as replacing aging cars and tracks, modernizing the signal system so more trains can run and beginning the next phase of the Second Avenue subway.
For most riders, their only regular connection to the agency’s budget is the money they load onto their MetroCards. While some believe the authority makes a profit by charging more than the ride costs, the system is, in fact, heavily subsidized, with fares making up about 40 percent of its operating revenue. Experts have called for a more sustainable source of funding; one proposal, by Move NY, would establish tolls for drivers on the East River bridges in Manhattan, an idea that was rejected in Albany in 2008.
…Mr. Brecher has called for other measures to improve service and shore up the authority’s finances, including higher subsidies for the agency from drivers’ tolls and fees. Move NY organizers say their plan, which also lowers tolls on some other bridges, would fully finance the capital program.
As he rode the No. 6 train on a recent afternoon, Scott Singer, 62, a lawyer who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, said he supported the tolls plan because the authority was too dependent on fare revenues.
“I think we should have done it 35 years ago,” he said. “I’ve always thought it was insane there were no tolls on those bridges.”
For now, riders are bracing for the fare increase. Many commuters who use the 30-day pass say they can absorb the extra $4.50 a month while it will be harder on riders with low incomes.