MTA Fare Hike On Hold
July 26, 2006
Good news for straphangers trying to hold on to their hard-won cash: The fare hike the MTA was planning for next year has been put on hold thanks to an unforeseen budget surplus.
In presenting its preliminary budget Wednesday, the MTA proposed a fare hike that was planned for January of next year won't take effect until September 2007.
Better-than-expected tax receipts pushed the date back.
Sooner or later, the agency says it'll have to start dealing with the looming budget gaps in 2008 and beyond.
"I think with the deficits in '08, '09 and 2010 nearing and going over a billion dollars, it's very difficult to start dealing with those problems if we don't start dealing with them at some point in 2007," said MTA Executive Director Katherine Lapp.
The preliminary budget gave no indication which fares exactly would go up, or by how much. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who controls four votes on the board, says the MTA will have to justify the need for any fare increase.
"At this point, certainly without an awful lot of justification, we wouldn't vote for that," he said.
MTA officials and transit advocates hope changes in Albany next year could lead to more funding for the MTA, which could affect the size of the fare hike.
"They'll be new administrations in Albany in January and we'll be sitting down and talking to them and that will enable us to determine a more accurate number, said MTA chairman Peter Kalikow.
"It's way too early to talk about the fare going up in 2007, and I'm hoping that the governor will change some of what we see as unfairness in these subsidies that are provided to the transit authority," said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign.
Other budget items include plans to combat vandalism, by outfitting every subway window with a Mylar coating by 2009. There were also security measures like installing intercoms on all subway cars with locked end doors.
Looking to offset the possible fare hike, the board proposed scrapping the $50 million holiday fare program introduced last year and cutting the number of non-rush hour trains.
On another MTA issue, the agency was briefed earlier this week on the city's $500 million offer for the West Side rail yards. The city would like to use the site for residential and commercial space.
The MTA board didn't accept the bid, but authorized Kalikow to work out a deal.
