MTA to Hold Hearing on Proposed Fare Hikes

Residents are invited to attend a public hearing hosted by the MTA Thursday night to address proposed fare hikes for 2011.

The MTA is proposing to increase fare and toll revenues by 7.5 percent in January 2011. As proposed, this increase could mean as much as a 9.4 percent fare increase for Long Island Rail Road commuters.

Other proposed changes include reducing the time period during which certain ticket types are valid, increasing fees for certain ticket transactions, and eliminating the 2 percent Mail & Ride discount and the 4 percent MetroCard discount for joint purchase of monthly commutation tickets and MetroCards.

According to a statement on the MTA's website, "In the spring of 2009 a multi-year financial framework was developed to address the MTA's budget shortfalls in recognition of the vital role that mass transit plays in the region. Fare and toll increases were a key component of this overall strategy which also included enactment of new state taxes and fees to support the MTA. Fares and tolls were expected to rise in 2011 and 2013, and in each of these years the planned increases were to generate an additional 7.5 percent in new revenue."

Assemblyman Joseph Saladino (R-Massapequa) said he's angered by the idea of another fare increase in light of the payroll tax and bailout package the agency received from Albany last year.

"I'm outraged and fed up with the over taxation and the diminishment of service and the potential fare increase by the MTA," he said. "People are being hit six ways to Sunday because the MTA won't clean up their books and clean up their business practices."

Sen. Carl Fuschillo (R-Merrick) plains to attend the public meeting, according to a spokesman. He has been collecting signatures for an online petition against the hike which he which he will present to the MTA Board. 

"The final decision on these fare hikes will be made by the MTA Board of Directors;," Fuschillo said in a statement. "They need to hear from the residents who will be directly affected by their decision. I encourage residents who oppose paying higher LIRR fares to make their voices heard and tell the MTA 'no' to the fare hikes."

Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) also blasted the proposed hike coming so soon after last year's aid package: "When I voted against the $2.2 billion MTA bailout plan and the egregious MTA payroll tax in May 2009, I said repeatedly it was an unjust attempt to drive up costs for commuters while doing nothing to reform the wasteful spending of the MTA that has led us to the fare increases now being proposed.

"It's clear that the MTA won't be able to fix these deep-seated problems by throwing more money at them. We must reform the MTA before another dollar is taken from Long Island commuters," Hannon added.

In recent years commuters have incurred a 10 percent increase in June 2009, a 4 percent increase in March 2008 and an 8 percent increase in March 2005. Recent proposed fare hikes would take effect Jan 1., 2011, resulting in an over 30 percent increase over the past five years.

"It's getting so that there's a rate hike every time I turn around," said Mitch Sceurman, who commutes daily into Manhattan from the Massapequa LIRR station. "I really wish someone would step in to run the MTA who knew a thing or two about sticking to a budget." 

Peter Haynes, president of the LIRR Commuters Campaign has attended a few meetings in the past, but said he believes that the "MTA just goes through the motions of listening."

"Then they do whatever they want," he added "I think there are more productive actions to take against the MTA than attending meetings that are mandatory and just for show. They could establish a passengers advisory committee, where commuters and other interested passengers would be able to pass input to the MTA (and its sub agencies) on complaints, suggestions, etc. There would then be a formal review process and a resolution that would be publicly available on a website."

The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Garden City Hotel. Registration opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Speakers can also register online at the MTA website, or by calling 212-878-7483.