I find it almost comical that the MTA board would pass a budget plan with a vote of 13 to 1 hoping it won't be implemented. They are required by law to balance their budget this month, which means they have to stick it to the ridership. After all, we've learned over the past several decades the MTA, a state agency, can't count on Albany for help. Pathetic.
I am hopeful -- but not optimistic -- that Albany will actually do the right thing for once and implement at least some of the recommendations of the Ravitch Commission to offset these cuts and hikes. It's the least state lawmakers could do -- which is more than what they usually do.

The MTA votes yes. Today, the board approved a new budget including fare and toll hikes and drastic service cuts. Under the worst-case scenario, a single bus or subway ride would cost two dollars and fifty cents, and a monthly pass would cost around 100 dollars. Access-A-Ride fares will double, and dozens of underutilized bus routes will be eliminated.

The exact cost of a single ride is still being decided, but the increase for express bus riders was determined. It will rise from five dollars to six dollars and 25 cents.

Is the express bus increase reasonable? What about doubling the cost for disabled New Yorkers? Does the MTA's 23-percent fare and toll revenue hike place an unfair burden on commuters?

Send us your thoughts using the link above.

Its an injustice, especially to the disabled in this city, many of whom live on fixed incomes and depend on Access-A-Ride to get around. How can MTA expect them pay $4-5 per ride. Yes, city buses are equipped with lifts but many are out of service. It is a sorrowful shame when you feel it necessary to go after the disabled and working class to fix the problem MTA created.

Ayesha from Bed-Stuy

Mta wants to double fare of access-a-ride for disabled and seniors. Will cost too much and people won't be able to get to the doctor. Why is the mta doing this?

Bobbie from sheepshead bay

The MTA is run by probably the most incompetent bunch of people there are. The board is packed with cronies and should be abolished. I myself will walk and they will now lose the $6.25 altogether..... Now what will they do try and charge for the use of the sidewalk around MTA property. What a joke.

Tony,
New York

Let’s face it, The MTA is milking this cow for all its worth. I don’t believe there is a deficit and if there is one, why are renaming bridges some ridiculous price and purchasing waterfalls that no one can see under the bridges at some ridiculous price. If the state wants to close the budget gap, just cut some of the unnecessary spending and budget wisely. We can’t be taxed any more. It got so bad that the administration wants to add fat tax. What is that all about?

Donald – Upper West Side

The rise to 50 cents is extreme without the caveat that there will be a freeze in increases for a specific length in time. Equally upsetting is the cut in service, which makes the increase even more baffling.

Yet $2.50 for a ride that can take one all over Manhattan and the outerboroughs is still a bargain; the difference between a movie and a play.

NY 1 should take a poll of all New Yorkers complaining about the increase and ask how many have spent $2000 on MaDonna tickets, or $75 a pop on a seat at Yankee stadium. NY 1 should also poll out of towners and ask them what transportation is like in their neck of the woods. Maybe New Yorkers spending a day in some other citizens shoes would clear our prespective.

David
Lakewood NJ

It is suffice to say that wherever there is an institution in financial woes, the cost is passed down to the working man. Shouldn't the first line of defense be to take from those who allowed this to happen. Most of us workers are not making a quarter of what these CEOs and chairmembers make. The noble thing to do is for them to take paycuts. By what right do they get to continue to live a gluttonous life of luxury, while we pay more. They dont feel the pinch. They dont even use their own mass transit. They drive. We as a people need to stop being so complacent. WE LET THEM DO THIS!! We should altogether boycott transit. It's not that hard. We had to get around when they went on strike. We should show them how it feels. A mass boycott of mass transit. 1 week and they"ll be reeling. Reduce the salaries of the CEOs, execs, chairmembers and boardmembers. They"re not doing good jobs anyway. Each year transit sees more riders, and yet, grow more debt. That doesn't sound right. And kill off overtime. More often than not, its senseless.

FROM IRONHEAD, RED HOOK , BKLYN

we the commuters of NYC should not have the sole burden of the MTA's mistakes. what about layoffs in management and restructuring like alot of businesses are doing. they are planning to build a new headquarters what are they kidding! they need to look at themselves first. what about the commuter tax to help finance mass transit. cutbacks will only encourage more cars in NY, have they forgotten "the going green" movement. they can increase the fares and make all the cuts they want but if they don't change their practices what good is it? they need to correct the problem first before going to us cash poor commuters. maybe the city should sell the MTA to the private sector, Donald Trump are you listening? if it's privatized things would be changed in a hurry.

Belinda, forest hills

I believe that this MTA proposed budget is a fair deal. Thousands, if not Millions use the MTA system daily. They commute from their home to work, and back each and every day. Now, why are they rising the cost for your trip? If people will be using the subways and buses, and they need to take out more from the depot, it costs them money to pay for maintance and for the workers on board and on track. Without those workers, there would be catastrophic delays, and you wouldn't be able to arrive at your destination. Service cuts will take place, because as we know it, there is enough traffic with so many buses and taxis. Now, with the ease of congestion, green house gases will be reduced, due to less standing will the engine is on. The toll hikes is also needed. The tunnels and roadways are used by many people, with that much congestion, accidents occur, potholes occur, etc. If something like that happens, they have to call someone to aid in the problem. If you don't the problem might get much more severe than it really is. This is my opinion, and I am sticking with it.

Mario
Queens

How can any of these rate hikes be deemed "reasonable"? The working class are praying every day that they keep their jobs. many of us have had our bonuses taken away or reduced dramatically. We were told that we weren't getting any raises next year. How can we afford to pay such drastic increases? I believe that the funds are there -- the MTA just won't admit it. The mayor and our city council (who gave themselves a 25% raise a couple of years ago) should really go to bat for us and stop this. New York may well end up going down the tubes because how much more can we cut in our own budgets? We still have rent to pay, mortgages, heating our homes, feeding ourselves -- and everything except our salaries have gone up. My 401K is now a 201K. I have to seriously consider putting off retirement for several more years, and that's only IF I still have a job then!

If the mayor was able to go from the 28th place billionaire to the 8th place billionaire in a year (according to Forbes), why can't he figure out how the MTA can stop this so-called "budget" from increasing?

My only hope is that President Obama will immediately give us tax breaks for the middle class, or a HUGE stimulus package so we can start spending again.

Dina (and Ed) of Throggs Neck

I watched most of this budget vote on NY1. This is a management or mismanagement issue. The people who got us in the mess are now trying to fix it. What we need is everyone on the board to be fired and then make up a new board who can re-look and come with a plan. This was a joke.

Rich
Midtown East

Congratulations MTA for another successful fare hike. Now where are our needs? Seems to me like the MTA does not care about our situations but only about themselves. I just seem to wonder where are they spending all the fare money that they need to raise so often? We get nothing in return but cuts on the trains and buses. Looks to me like the MTA will get coal from santa this year and not a Merry Christmas from us riders. Stop the madness, give us more reliable service!

Daniel
Maspeth, New York

Everything I expected I heard from the putrid MTA. I dispize their filthy operations and their arrogant attitude. Fare should be $3.00 express bus $6.50 accessa rides $6.00 at least but no service cuts or elimination of any lines let riders pay for the actual ride!

Joseph from Sunnyside.

what qualifications for his job does sander have other than being a giuliani-clone. There are countless individuals on the platform at middle village terminus standing around doing nothing: no supervision, asleep at the switch, and the trains sit there with 20 minute gaps between trains. Sander is the worst of all of them including Kallacow who was a republican landlord. Why cant bloomberg and patterson put him in his place. What a scam.

John
Kissena Park

Bush Impeachment would be the best holiday present. Not to metion firing the MTA supervisors, the corrupt policticians and everyone in wall street. Dump them all.

Rich B.

THANKS PARTLY TO GOVERNOR PATAKI, WE ARE IN THIS MESS. 2002, HE FLOUTED THE FORMULA OF THE TRANSPORTATION LAW SECTION 18B. IF THAT FORMULA WAS ALLOWED, WE COULD HAVE REALIZED OVER $390 MILLION MORE EACH YEAR SINCE. THAT SECTION IS BASED ON RIDERSHIP INCREASE AND THE LAWS GOVERNING THAT INCREASE WOULD HAVE TO ALLOW FOR THE INCREASE IN SUBSIDY. THE M.T.A DEPT OF BUSES HAS TAKEN OVER PRIVATE LINES SINCE THAT PERIOD, WHICH WOULD CALL FOR MORE INCREASE OF REALIZED SUBSIDIES. WHY HASN'T THAT 18B LAW BEEN UPDATED?

JOE, BAY TERRACE

I really hope the state and Albany comes to the rescue. Cutting and getting rid of subways and bus routes is not okay at all. It will effect all New Yorkers including myself. I think that both Bloomberg and Paterson should also step up and help avoid all of this so we can instead expand our subways and local and express bus routes and keep the fare of metro cards the same or bring the price low. I do not mind the mta raising fares on East river bridges and Tunnels. This morning when I listen to the budget meeting I was shock to see that man trying to throw a shoe at the MTA board it was scary.

Tariq
Harlem, Manhattan

What can we say about this meeting today, not much at all, they have us over a barrel again.
They are always in our face us little people just keep getting abused over and over again.
I no longer go to work but I have been down that road for many years traveling like many other people like taking two buses and two subways just to get to work, it's not easy.
They make it seem like we are not paying to use the systems. How much do they collect from all of the riders every day?
And so it goes, and so it goes.

Maxxiee
MP.

Dear Everyone at The Call:
I agree with most New Yorkers that the burden of the fare hike should not be shoulders by commuters solely. Why is it that every couple of years the MTA goes into a panic, citing lack of funds? Perhaps they should restructure the way they balance their budgets and revamp the way they do business? Are station attendants who surly attempt to assist you, if they feel like it, necessary? I can get more interaction from the vending machines.

Sincerely,
Dominik Z.
Maspeth, NY

I happen to know that the MTA has employs that are designing some subway systems and live out side NY. The MTA has been keeping them in Hotels on a weekly basis for decades. Of course this is a way to run out of money

Tina

they are going to get rid of the M8 bus!!!!!! ????

NO WAY!!

Delphine

I do not understand this. People didn't get excited when the MTA was found to be keeping two sets of books. They don't make a peep when the MTA extends their project timelines by years and expenditures by tens of millions. Now they're complaining about 40 cents per ride?!

Rob
Gramercy

Who Holds MTA Management Accountable?
I have read, re-read, and re-re-read the report from the Ravitch commission on MTA financing, and I see no recommendation to reform or reduce the level of MTA management.
The report asks for sacrifices from drivers, subway and bus riders, commuter rail riders, and businesses within the 12 county catchment area of the MTA, but asks for no sacrifices from a group that has mismanaged the agency to the point that it has a $1.2 BILLION deficit despite having subway, bus, and commuter rail ridership increase steadily over a 12 year period to historic levels.
A lead story in the 12/15/08 edition of the New York Daily News makes it clear that the intractable bureaucracy at the MTA will relentlessly push any and all cuts to the lowest possible level (effectively shutting down service on the N and R lines at City Hall, Rector St., Whitehall St., Court St., and Lawrence St. after 11 p.m. on weeknights) in order to preserve itself.
All stakeholders must come to the table with real, tangible sacrifices to help balance the budget, now and in the future, including MTA management, especially MTA management.
It cant all be the unions fault, though the MTA is hoping that adverse publicity over the next 5 weeks directed at the largest union, local 100 of the TWU will divert attention away from its gross mismanagement. (having been emasculated and brought to the brink of bankruptcy by mayor Bloomberg and the NYC corporation counsel before signing a no-strike promise, local 100 will soon be eviscerated by the editorial pages of the tabloids, and hounded by the attack dogs of conservative think tanks into making additional contract concessions as the anniversary of the 2005 strike-and the expiration date of its current contract- approaches).
How do you trust an agency that previously lied to its riders and employees about a budget deficit-when it in fact had a surplus- in order to push through an earlier fare and toll increase (the infamous 2 books scandal)?
How do you trust an agency that has squandered $300-$500 million in 3 unsuccessful attempts to track buses using GPS technology, a technology that has been successfully introduced in dozens of other cities around the world?
How do you trust an agency that has wasted over $600 million to renovate a building (2 Broadway) it doesnt even own, and where massive fraud discovered during the renovation resulted in at least 2 convictions of contractors scamming the MTA, but no punishment for the MTA managers responsible for overseeing the renovations who looked the other way while the fraud was committed?
How do you trust an agency that still retains a separate set of payroll managers, purchasing managers, accountants, and public relations managers (and their administrative staffs) for the MTA headquarters, and for each subsidiary of the MTA (TA, MNRR, LIRR, Bridges and Tunnels, MTA BUS, MTA Capital Construction) despite pleas dating back to the Cuomo administration to consolidate back office operations in order to save money?
How do you trust an agency that has such poor personnel controls that its unaware that dozens of its employees arent even at work (i.e., the November 2008 WABC report that dozens of track workers were documented shopping, running outside businesses,, or cavorting on the beach when they were supposed to be on duty)?
Not one penny of any money raised by increased fares, tolls, or payroll taxes should be released to the MTA unless and until real and tangible reductions in management have been made, and that the repository of the new revenue streams should be deposited and held by an existing entity-the Public Authority Review Board-instead of a newly created bureaucracy controlled by the MTA.

Pete from Manhattan

When did everybody start drinking the kool-aid? We're getting squeezed financially from every other sector. Let those who can afford cars pay for the poorer (and more environmentally friendly) straphangers.
We could also schedule a bigger hike for two years from now, when the economy overall should be a little better.

Regards,
Carolina

The real reason we are facing MTA service cutbacks and fare increases is that the rich don't pay anywhere near their fair share in taxes. State and federal taxes on the rich should by increased dramatically, and the money should be used to deal with budget problems.

The rich caused the Wall St. crash which caused the fiscal problems. 100% of the money that state, local, and federal governments have lost should be paid back by the rich.

Tom

I am completely disgusted with the MTA at this point. I call for full investigation on what they are doing with taxpayer money. The media is focusing more on fraud with the investment banks, it's time to look at the MTA NOW!!!

"maitai"

Good evening. I am a Queens native who rides the train 6 times a week. I go to work and school and this fare hike would drastically hurt me finacially being that school tution is hard enough!

Lewis
Queens

I saw a report from NY1 this morning it cost 7 billion for a year it
takes 14 years to get 1 year of cost. and the MTA does is pay the
interest. The price should go up, there just needs to be a change
like, the further you go the more you pay, build small malls in
station and charge for rent. I've lived it Tokyo and it works there.

Harold W.

The question is not that they will increse a fair the problem is that the service is will stay the same, and we will pay double price
for riding overcroweded train cars, standing, with no room to breath. This part is not going out of equeation what will happen in this case people will cheap in for car rides to work, use more taxi, and at the end of the 2009 MTA will face even more budget holes, then now.
the encrease whey would like to pass is unacceptible, when evarage taxi ride in Manhattan is $8.00 And NYC in crices and massive job cuts. I belive the fair price for a ride would be somewhere around $2.50-3.00

Ilyas P.
Brooklyn

do you honestly think I won't switch to verizon because of shows like this. 1-1/2 hour of venting, if people spent as much time writing to the people who can actually make a change things might change 2-you can't talk about the city budget cuts in peices you have to look at the whole picture like who the mayor of the city of NY has money to give bonuses to city teachers but no money for the MTA just my opinion but your show casuse more harm then good people vent and then do nothing else

Cheryl

lst. How come the S>I> ferry fare wasn;t raised.(heard it;s free??)
2nd; Instead of eliminating some bus service-why not eliminate the Roosevelt Island Tramway. Residents now have the F train ??
3rd. Why can;t the Mta operate within their budget? What extra;s are added?
4th. Why can;t we New Yorkers have a certified financial report for the last few years & the proposed budget foe 2009?(so we can see what;s happening)
5th How many board members does the MTA have=What are their salaries & fringe benefits?I hope you can answer these questions?
Thank you

Cliz

Honestly Im not even going to lie here.I think all the hikes are ridiculous but i honestly believe we the disabled have the worst and the express way riders.I know that most of the people if not all who take access a ride have a fixed income and are struggling just like myself Im a full time student at Queens College and just traveling 6 times a week and i live in downtown brooklyn if i was to take the city bus i would have to take 5 from my house to my school and 5 back home and because i have a motorize wheelchair and the mta seems not to care about fixing the elevators at the subway stations i cannot take any train and having to help my mother with the rent and everything else plus tuition the money i get its not even enough for the month and i know im not alone i know there is many who are in a situation similar to mine so what happens to all of us? Have they stopped to think that we as part of society will have our everyday lifes jeopardize?

Ana from Brooklyn