A fare hike is a small price for a working subway system
The increase in dimensions in the metro and buses, from $ 2.90 to three dollars, even in January, do not suspend us, but it is necessary, like eating healthy and exercising. The last increase in prices was two years ago, which is almost fair to stick to the concept of all the increases of the year linked to inflation. We call this the Ravitch rule, after Dick Ravitch, the businessman and former president of the MTA who saved the metro several times and was also the lieutenant-government of the state.
Dick left (and the boy is doing New York Miss Champions like him), but we will continue his idea and push the MTA to follow him and will resist efforts to put a grip on tariff hikes.
New York has already played this losing match. Politicians, fearing angry with the straphangers, reported the increase in prices, even if the need for more income from runners did not stop growing. Each time, in the end, the price had to get up and it was a big Wallop, instead of something manageable, like a slim.
Yes, the mayor Adams is against the price hike, but he presents himself for a re -election. See the connection? Someone always presents himself to their functions, so there is never a good time, which is why the Ravitch rule must be obeyed (and why Governor Hochul lets MTA correctly stay on the right track).
The other part of the RAVITCH rule is that in exchange for regular increases based on inflation prices, employers’ taxes would follow and MTA should provide decent service. If everyone does their part, we can have a very hard -working public transport network, which we need.
As for the mechanisms of this series of hikes, we do not agree with the MTA decision to reduce public audiences to only three sessions within 24 hours in the same place in downtown Brooklyn. Some people like to appear in person and these people should not have to rush to Brooklyn of other districts and the distant suburban counties (Lirr and Metro-North North Rail the prices also increase) to declare their case.
Speaking of mechanics, when the $ 3 rate will arrive during the new year, the Metrocard will be gone, replaced by the OMNY system, where runners can use the OMNY card, as well as certain credit cards or debit cards or smartphones. However, until then, the Metrocard is still the accepted part of the kingdom, but the MTA makes it more difficult for passengers by removing the automatic distributors of Metrocard of so many stations. The MTA should at least keep a current list of Metrocard automatic distributors on its website, otherwise people will all have to fill their metrocards on the mobile sales buses and van.
People paid $ 1 for an empty metrocard and the MTA invoice an additional $ 1 for OMNY empty cards. And believe it or not, there are a lot of New Yorkers who do not have a credit card or a debit or smartphone card and do not use money.
Finally, with regard to prices, after many years of complaints in these columns, Njtransit invoiced rail passengers at Newark airport an additional trip to and from Penn station in Manhattan, NJT finally eliminated penalty costs. It disappeared on July 1 of last year, but we have not achieved it so far. THANKS. The price is right.
