Tag: budget

Another Nail in the Fare Hike Coffin

subwayblogger9 Comments

Aaaand we inch ever closer to the $2.50 single ride and the $103 monthly unlimited. The final vote is Wednesday.

I don’t claim to be that good at math, but eventually the unlimited card is just not worth it.  I mean, the average commuter is going to take the train twice a day, 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month.  That’s 40 total rides.  At $2.50 a ride, that’s $100.

Eventually, I think I’m just going to buy a $100 regular card and get my extra 6 free rides ($15).  There’s rarely a month that goes by where I take 6 rides on the weekend.  When I head out on the weekend, I’m usually cabbing it up.

First MTA Budget Hearing – January 14th

subwayblogger1 Comment

The first of eight public hearings to discuss the proposed fare hikes and crossing tolls is coming up on January 14th at the Hilton right here in Manhattan.

Are any of you planning on attending?

I have a meeting during the hearing, so I don’t think I will be able to make it.  Wish I could.

If you are planning on attending, and you use Twitter, let SUBWAYblogger know by posting comment.  You can find SUBWAYblogger on Twitter already. We’ll post a link to your Twitter feed for live updates from the hearing.

Maybe you plan on live blogging it…we’ll link to that too.

MTA Doomsday Rate Raping OK’d

subwayblogger4 Comments

The MTA approved the doomsday budget yesterday that will allow them to hike the fares starting as early as Thursday this week.  The new budget would/will need to be approved tomorrow (Wednesday), and the new fare would kick in Thursday.

How much? Single rides would be $2.50.  The monthly unlimited Metrocard would jump to $104 at least (official source).   It could be more if the MTA picked the plan that had no service cuts.  However, it looks like there will be some service cuts in addition to the fare increase to keep the actual financial burden as low as possible.

So should I go buy 12 unlimited Metrocards right now while they are still just $81 ?  Will they be honored?  Technically, they don’t activate until their first use.

Poll: How the Hell Do We Pay for this Crap?

subwayblogger18 Comments

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it best today when he summed up the state of the MTA.  He says the MTA does not have a single dollar for it’s 2009 capital plan.  Not just falling a little short…literally does not have a single dollar.

So now law makers are scrambling to find revenue alternatives.  They are getting very desperate.

Governor Paterson is throwing around things like East River tolls, fare hikes, service cuts, and on and on.

[poll id=”10″]

You can refresh and vote up to three times if there’s more than one you like.

There’s probably some ideas missing, so hit them up in the comments.