The great student MetroCard swindle

City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., tried to help out the straphangers, but the weather would have none of that. Literally lost in yesterday’s flood was his report proclaiming the impending MTA fare hike could be avoided if Albany and the city fulfill their fiscal obligations to the MTA.

While a pesky flood captured the city, Thompson’s report deserves another look. An analysis of the six ways in in which, combined, the MTA could draw in enough revenue to fend off a fare hike for now, Thompson’s work serves as public support for the subway rider, and buried in his report is a gem.

Recommendation five concerns the ever-popular Student MetroCards. A favorite of students around the city who abuse this program for all its worth, this program is supposed to be covered by allocations from the City and State, but, unsurprisingly, the City and State are shirking their responsibilities. Thompson notes that an adjustment of the school fare reimbursement to “fully reflect the cost of all authorized student bus and subway trips” would provide the MTA with $71.5 million more.

In other words, the City and State are not paying what they should be for the city’s students to ride the subways for free. He goes more in depth into the economics:

The City should increase its reimbursement to NYCT for fares for schoolchildren. Such increases would make up for unilateral decreases in school fare reimbursements during the mid-1990s. Currently the City and the State each contribute $45 million per year to subsidize school fares.

NYCT recently provided the Office of the Comptroller with data regarding student MetroCard use during the 2005-2006 school year. During that school year, students took 133.4 million subway and bus rides at a cost to the transit system of $161.5 million, based on average non-student bus and subway fares. After subtracting the combined City and State fixed school fare reimbursement of $90 million, NYCT provided $71.5 million of unreimbursed service last year.

The emphasis there is mine, and yes, you read that correctly. The City and State seem to expect the MTA to simply foot the bill for student riders at a loss of $71.5 million to a cash-strapped Authority. That’s outrageous.

Many politicians in and around New York City like to give lip service to the fare hike. We’ll do what it takes to avoid it, they say. Well, here’s your chance. End this ridiculous practice and reimburse the MTA for rides it gives to students. The MTA is under no obligation to provide this service, especially considering how many students abuse the privilege of these MetroCards. If the city and state refuse to reimburse the Authority for the service, the program should end. It’s as simple as that.