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MTA increases price for subway (base $2.75/Monthly $116.50) and LIRR/MN/Tolls/Bridges

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G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Link. Fucking hell, I didn't realized it was this weekend they were jacking up the prices.

Commuters, brace yourselves: The price of traveling on New York City's mass transit system is about to get even steeper.

Fare increases will kick in across the board Sunday on the city's subways, buses, commuter trains, bridges and tunnels, part of a series of fare increases in recent years built into the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority's budget. The latest come at a time when commuters are fed up with increasing delays on subways and trains that got worse over the course of a difficult, snowy winter that wreaked havoc on the rails.

At busy Penn Station on Friday morning, several people wondered: Why are fares increasing when service seems to be deteriorating?

"I think it's unfair. The trains are always late, overcrowded. They're dirty," said Joelle Torres, who commutes from her Long Island home in Coram to Manhattan's Beth Israel Medical Center, taking the Long Island Rail Road and the subway. "You can't really rely on them. But yet the fares keep going up, and we're not really getting any service."

The base fare for subways and buses will go up by 25 cents to $2.75, while the price of a 30-day MetroCard will jump by $4.50 to $116.50. The seven-day unlimited ride MetroCard will increase 3.3 percent to $31.

The cost of riding the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad will both rise about 4 percent, though the price will vary depending on the time of day and the distance traveled. At major bridges and tunnels, including the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, formerly called the Triborough Bridge, and the Queens Midtown Tunnel, E-ZPass tolls will go up 21 cents to $5.54.

While the fare increase is cheaper than the one MTA had originally planned, it's still the fifth increase in six years, said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, an advocacy group for subway riders.

"Riders are weary and angry," Russianoff said. "The outlook for future fares is very gloomy unless Gov. Andrew Cuomo finds new revenues to fill a $15 billion gap in funding vital rebuilding need over the next five years."

Subway delays increased by about 45 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to MTA records. In the past week alone, multiple track fires on the 7 train infuriated the people who rely on it to travel from Queens to Manhattan. And on the perennially overcrowded L train, the main link between Manhattan and Brooklyn's Williamsburg, trains were halted by a broken rail and a "rail condition" on two consecutive days, causing lengthy delays during rush hour.

Transit officials say increased ridership and aging infrastructure are partly to blame for the delays. And they stand to worsen if the state legislature doesn't come up with the $15 billion to fund the MTA's proposed capital budget, which will pay for sorely needed mechanical system-wide improvements.

"The cost of running New York's mass transit network keeps rising, but by cutting more than $1 billion from our annual expenses, the MTA has been able to hold fare and toll increases down to the equivalent of 2 percent a year, with the lowest increases for our most frequent customers," the MTA said in a statement earlier this week.

It would be nice to see the fare increases put toward cleaning the city's filthy subway stations, said Cathy Aison, 75, who lives in Manhattan.

"They look like third-world subway stations. If you travel around Europe or Asia, they're gorgeous and clean. In Japan, you can eat off the floor," she said. "I don't think you could do that here."

Subway ridership is at an all-time high, with about 6 million people on the busiest days. Last fall, the MTA recorded 149 million passengers in the month of September, a record.
Click to expand...
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
terrisus said:
You know, there are many such things abbreviated as "MTA."
Click to expand...
Good thing the thread title has more than one word. Read the whole title instead of always derailing threads for the sake of derailing and attention.

This sucks but I'm already used to it after the path for the increase to $2.75.
 
S

Skel1ingt0n

I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
I visit NY a fair bit for work and can take cabs or black car service when I'm there. But when I stay over the weekend, I'll use MTA and the costs boggle my mind. I've heard friends who live there say it's awesome because they don't have a car payment.

Yeah, but it's $116 a month to ride on someone else's schedule, and it's often delayed. And for a family of four, you're spending ~$460.

That said, I think it's not rare for a family of four to spend $400+ between (likely) two cars, two insurance premiums, and gasoline. Thing is, I can drive on my own schedule, own my car, don't have to share, and I'm not surrounded by filth and lots of weird people.
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
Skel1ingt0n said:
I visit NY a fair bit for work and can take cabs or black car service when I'm there. But when I stay over the weekend, I'll use MTA and the costs boggle my mind. I've heard friends who live there say it's awesome because they don't have a car payment.

Yeah, but it's $116 a month to ride on someone else's schedule, and it's often delayed. And for a family of four, you're spending ~$460.

That said, I think it's not rare for a family of four to spend $400+ between (likely) two cars, two insurance premiums, and gasoline. Thing is, I can drive on my own schedule, own my car, don't have to share, and I'm not surrounded by filth and lots of weird people.
Click to expand...
This is still obnoxiously cheaper than owning a car, especially if you live in a city.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Skel1ingt0n said:
I visit NY a fair bit for work and can take cabs or black car service when I'm there. But when I stay over the weekend, I'll use MTA and the costs boggle my mind. I've heard friends who live there say it's awesome because they don't have a car payment.

Yeah, but it's $116 a month to ride on someone else's schedule, and it's often delayed. And for a family of four, you're spending ~$460.

That said, I think it's not rare for a family of four to spend $400+ between (likely) two cars, two insurance premiums, and gasoline. Thing is, I can drive on my own schedule, own my car, don't have to share, and I'm not surrounded by filth and lots of weird people.
Click to expand...

If you live or work in Manhattan you'd need to worry about parking, which is a whole other thing and easily makes not owning a car the smarter choice.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
It's the same in San Francisco, so I feel for you. It's went up a ton in just a few years. When I moved here in 2007 I thought it was actually rather affordable. Since then I see it as a bit of a rip off.

Prices rise at least once per year, they are ultra crowded, filthy, lots of homeless people on the trains too (where are the ticket checkers??)

I'm half tempted to just sneak on the trains anymore instead of pay the outrageous prices, clearly nobody is even tracking the tickets anymore

I'm talking about BART btw, not MUNI. And with BART there is no monthly pass, you must pay every ticket so it gets expensive FAST.

SF Bay Area get your shit together, I want to buy 1 unlimited monthly pass that lets me ride MUNI, BART and AC Transit. Make it $120 I don't care.
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
B-Dubs said:
If you live or work in Manhattan you'd need to worry about parking, which is a whole other thing and easily makes not owning a car the smarter choice.
Click to expand...
That's why myself and most others sold their car upon moving to the city. Parking garages are obnoxiously priced and unless you have an old beater, car payment plus insurance plus parking plus gas is crazy compared to a little over $100. It saved me hundreds of dollars a month.
 
B

BigDug13

Member
GK86 said:
How many of these "MTAs" deal with subway/tolls/bridges?
Click to expand...

I thought MTA stood for Mass Transit Authority so I really thought several major cities used that acronym.

Metropolitan doesn't make it any better as that's a generic term for urban city. MTA could in reality be the acronym for every major city's transit system on the planet.
 
E

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
BigDug13 said:
I thought MTA stood for Mass Transit Authority so I really thought several major cities used that acronym.
Click to expand...

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Not far off and still just as ambiguous really.

I'm glad I only have to take the LIRR into the city and not also have to get a Metro Card. Though my monthly ticket on LIRR is $276 a month, not sure what it will be now.
 
N

njr

Member
It's pretty sad to hear the governor raiding the MTA's budget to pay for state debt and then this happening. The second ave subway isn't even near complete and is going to be downsized, trains are out of service almost every weekend of the year because of faulty signal problems, and most lines during the day are bursting seams with people trying to get to work, causing delays.
 
N

NullPointer

Member
EskimoJoe said:
Seeing this under the "Free public transit in Paris" thread is...disappointing.
Click to expand...
To be fair how is a small hamlet like New York supposed to handle those kinds of expenses? Maybe if there was a decent tax base to work with, or if they could attract some high paying jobs to the region, but alas ...
 
J

John Dunbar

correct about everything
i think we can all agree that increasing the cost of public transportation is a sure sign of a reasonable society.
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
The Last Wizard said:
These sobs keep jacking the fare up, this is ridiculous? They're not even showing why.
Click to expand...

Yup. Every morning, I pray the 7 train isn't hit with another delay. And riding the subway on the weekend blows.

terrisus said:
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority?
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Does it have a subway? No, ok then.

BigDug13 said:
I thought MTA stood for Mass Transit Authority so I really thought several major cities used that acronym.

Metropolitan doesn't make it any better as that's a generic term for urban city. MTA could in reality be the acronym for every major city's transit system on the planet.
Click to expand...

From what I have seen, most are called "City" Metro. Or something to that effect.
 
B

BakedYams

Slayer of Combofiends
I take the damn train almost everyday and its getting frustrating. I don't wanna live in this city anymore, we can't blame the MTA for all of this if the government isn't trying to help them meet the extra costs that come from increasing ridership from NYC residents and tourists that come from other countries in the past decade. I'm not too knowledgable on whether Cuomo is ignoring this or actually trying to find funds but this crap has been going on for way too long. Its easy to blame the MTA for all of this happening but they're are only doing their job and doing the best they can with what they have. It still sucks that there aren't many other options except for riding a bike (no way in hell I'll do that for 2 hours) or get a car. Don't get me started on parking in NYC, its a different beast on its own.
 
J

Jazzy Network

Member
Got a monthly pass today since it's the last day before the hike. So annoying. It's not even the fact that it's only 4.50, it's the fact that it goes up every fucking year or two.
 
V

VoxPop

Member
Lol seriously fuck the MTA. The subway is absolutely terrible and it doesn't help that the LIRR only goes to Penn Station in the city. Old, shitty dirty stations and trains usually never on time. What exactly are we paying for? Glad I'm moving to Cali in a few months.
 
M

mintylurb

Member
VoxPop said:
Lol seriously fuck the MTA. The subway is absolutely terrible and it doesn't help that the LIRR only goes to Penn Station in the city. Old, shitty dirty stations and trains usually never on time. What exactly are we paying for? Glad I'm moving to Cali in a few months.
Click to expand...

Gotta feed the rats..
 
T

tbm24

Member
Pretty funny that the worry for the L train is only Williamsburg, when the damn thing gets packed way before it even hits Williamsburg.
 
N

Nemesis121

Member
Battersea Power Station said:
Why? It's to try to minimize their operating deficit. All their budget data is public, I think.
Click to expand...

My step father was a train operator, they have some shady types of jobs there, for example they have penalty jobs, you go in as a Stand By operator for emergency and get paid 9 hours 95% of the time he said he sat on his ass for the day, he would always take that for overtime, I have heard of other jobs in where they worked 5 hours and got 4 hours of built in OT after regular time was added every day..so they worked 25 hours and got 20 hours of OT, I have filled out many different employment jobs for the MTA because of all those shit jobs they have..I want to work there...
 
V

VoxPop

Member
Nemesis121 said:
My step father was a train operator, they have some shady types of jobs there, for example they have penalty jobs, you go in as a Stand By operator for emergency and get paid 9 hours 95% of the time he said he sat on his ass for the day, he would always take that for overtime, I have heard of other jobs in where they worked 5 hours and got 4 hours of built in OT after regular time was added every day..so they worked 25 hours and got 20 hours of OT, I have filled out many different employment jobs for the MTA because of all those shit jobs they have..I want to work there...
Click to expand...

Sounds about right.

That extra 25 cents from every rider going to great places.

mintylurb said:
Gotta feed the rats..
Click to expand...

They have plenty to eat down there already from all the trash
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Nemesis121 said:
My step father was a train operator, they have some shady types of jobs there, for example they have penalty jobs, you go in as a Stand By operator for emergency and get paid 9 hours 95% of the time he said he sat on his ass for the day, he would always take that for overtime, I have heard of other jobs in where they worked 5 hours and got 4 hours of built in OT after regular time was added every day..so they worked 25 hours and got 20 hours of OT, I have filled out many different employment jobs for the MTA because of all those shit jobs they have..I want to work there...
Click to expand...

This makes me cry.
 
V

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
The problem is the local/state/federal government in NYC/State/USA like all over refuses to deal with the fact that our infrastructure sucks ass and needs an overhaul.

To a certain degree the MTA is fucked no matter what they do. They need big money. Our nation as a whole needs this money to fix roads/bridges/subways ect... Vs doing dumb shit with taxpayer funds like all of that foreign aid that we ship out across the global. Yo can we get some of that shit here please.
 
A

alex chilton

Member
having lived in seoul for a couple of years, nyc subways are a complete joke in comparison. Never spent over 40 a month there and I used public transportation everyday. How can fares be that much yet run like shit and look so disgusting.
 
E

EroticSushi

Member
Vanillalite said:
The problem is the local/state/federal government in NYC/State/USA like all over refuses to deal with the fact that our infrastructure sucks ass and needs an overhaul.

To a certain degree the MTA is fucked no matter what they do. They need big money. Our nation as a whole needs this money to fix roads/bridges/subways ect... Vs doing dumb shit with taxpayer funds like all of that foreign aid that we ship out across the global. Yo can we get some of that shit here please.
Click to expand...
I agree on the overhaul and so do a lot of people but the problem is I just don't see how they can give it a overhaul without causing everyone to throw a fit. They would have to close off major stations for months or even years to give it a proper overhaul and I'm not sure how that would work. Just imagine them closing off grand central, time square or queens borough for an extended amount of time just to give it a overhaul. People would go nuts about not having access to those stations for so long.

It really does need an overhaul. Subway stations and trains are beyond disgusting and they've been increasing prices over the years while changing nothing. I don't see it happening though since they apparently don't have the money to do it.
 
K

Kuroyume

Banned
What's soul crushing and just maddening about this is how poor the service has gotten and yet they have the gall to raise prices. In the summer no air conditioning on the 1 train. Constant delays. Always skipping stations. Packed like sardines.

Just look at this shit from the L train:

http://websta.me/p/934027139974459340_18659122

http://websta.me/p/942723414925825942_10851588

http://websta.me/p/942702286403546094_1290521

http://websta.me/p/942732251673115530_254019589

How do people not die everyday getting pushed off platforms? It's only a matter of time.

And the busses aren't any better.
 
A

afreaknamedpete

Member
Maybe I would be okay with paying an extra 25 cents if the trains ran 10% faster. Part of the reason I moved to NYC was to not deal with the hassle and expense of maintaining a car, but the MTA is rather desperate to prove me wrong.
 
E

evil solrac v3.0

Member
terrisus said:
You know, there are many such things abbreviated as "MTA."
Click to expand...

Go away terrisus.

Skel1ingt0n said:
I visit NY a fair bit for work and can take cabs or black car service when I'm there. But when I stay over the weekend, I'll use MTA and the costs boggle my mind. I've heard friends who live there say it's awesome because they don't have a car payment.

Yeah, but it's $116 a month to ride on someone else's schedule, and it's often delayed. And for a family of four, you're spending ~$460.

That said, I think it's not rare for a family of four to spend $400+ between (likely) two cars, two insurance premiums, and gasoline. Thing is, I can drive on my own schedule, own my car, don't have to share, and I'm not surrounded by filth and lots of weird people.
Click to expand...


no. Gas prices are higher here. Parking is a nightmare and you're not buying a monthly unlimited for your kids. And did you take into account lease payments? Repairs? Winter tires and other stuff? Subway is the best way to get around here. As for being surrounded by weird people, I see you ve never been on the BQE expressway or the west side highway.
 
B

BlazinAm

Junior Member
Kuroyume said:
What's soul crushing and just maddening about this is how poor the service has gotten and yet they have the gall to raise prices. In the summer no air conditioning on the 1 train. Constant delays. Always skipping stations. Packed like sardines.

Just look at this shit from the L train:

http://websta.me/p/934027139974459340_18659122

http://websta.me/p/942723414925825942_10851588

http://websta.me/p/942702286403546094_1290521

http://websta.me/p/942732251673115530_254019589

How do people not die everyday getting pushed off platforms? It's only a matter of time.

And the busses aren't any better.
Click to expand...
The infrastructural changes needed to solve the L train problems are stupidly massive. One small solution would be to add more bus lines in Brooklyn. Brooklyn really needs it.
 
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