Surveys

What Are the Most Pressing Issues Facing New York Now?
01/30/2008
What is the greatest threat to the New York you love?
11/30/2007
What does it cost you to live here?
11/08/2007
Can one person change the city?
10/22/2007

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Is Mass Transit a Livability Issue?

Thursday, September 27, 2007, 06:46pm
Submitted by Jonathan Sills

Perhaps contrary to the commonly subscribed-to idea that the poor take the bus and the subway, and the rich either take cabs or drive themselves and then stump up for parking, Metro New York suggests today in its article How Fair is the Fare? that there are further striations in the commuting public based on the proposed increase in MTA transit fares.

Commenting on yesterday's announcement by MTA chief Elliot Sander that single-ride subway and bus fares will be increased by 12.5%, Metro suggests that while only 14% of straphangers are actually cash-paying (i.e. do not buy unlimited week or 30 day passes), these are often low income riders who can't afford the initial sum to take advantage of the discounted passes, so any fare hike has a disproportionate affect on them. To counter this, the MTA is introducing a new 14-day pass for $45, offering an additional discount on top of the regularly-priced 7-day pass for $24. Still, Metro suggests, this might be too steep for some.

Compared to London where a ticket on the Underground between two stops about two miles apart will cost you roughly $8 (₤4), even with the 12.5% increase — bringing the standard current fare of $2 up to $2.25 — a single-ride ticket to anywhere in New York City on the subway still looks like good value for money. But what do you think? Does a 25¢ increase per journey make a difference to you? Is the proposed hike just in line with inflation or is it another example of the cost of city living spiraling out of the reach of the masses?

Fare hike or no fare hike, if you present a MetroCard during the Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York exhibition, you'll receive 10% off at Urban Center Books & 20% off regular MAS walking tours. For customized travel directions, visit www.mta.info and use Trip Planner, NYC Transit’s new online travel information service.