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MTA approves MetroCard fare, toll hikes

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | MNaanes@am-ny.com

December 20, 2007

Fare and toll hikes were made official by the MTA board Wednesday, but not before two of the agency's board members made an unusual last-ditch effort to derail the increase.

A 12-2 vote cemented the hikes that will boost unlimited ride MetroCards by up to $5 while decreasing bonus card perks on March 2.

Board members Mitch Pally and Andrew Saul voted against the increases after attempting to delay the hike until July, citing a promise from legislators to find funding this spring to save the fare.

"I think it's a tragedy that the MTA is giving the back of the hand to more than 100 state legislators that want to help," said Straphangers Campaign staff attorney Gene Russianoff, who campaigned with the elected officials.

Board members who supported the hike said they didn't want to gamble on legislators' promises that could prove empty as the state faces huge deficits. The MTA would stand to lose millions in additional fare revenues next year if the state didn't come through.

"We still need help from the state. We still need help from the city, and they'll feel no less pressure from this board on that front," said board member Susan Metzger. "This is a very hard decision for all of us to make, and it's an unpopular one, but it's a first step to fiscal responsibility."

The agency is asking the state for $1.5 billion during the next two years for operations and various projects, and stalling could lead to larger fare hikes in the future, MTA chief executive Elliot Sander has said. The MTA asked for the fare increase back in July, citing $6 billion in future deficits.

The hikes will increase the 30-day pass by $5 to $81 and the seven-day pass by $1 to $25. The bonus on a pay-per-ride MetroCard is reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent.

The minimum amount to qualify for a discount will be lowered to $7 from $10 after public hearings to be set next year.

Service improvements, announced with the hike plan in July, are also on track but only if revenues in the first few months of 2008 come in as expected, the MTA said. Some initiatives, including additional car and station cleaners and additional subway service on some lines, have already begun.

Toll hikes on MTA bridges and tunnels, including the Triborough and Verrazano-Narrows bridges and the Battery Tunnel, will take effect on March 16. Commuter rail hikes on LIRR and MetroNorth, up by an average of 4 percent take effect March 1.