If I would have continued my comment, I would have again suggested the MTA charge the full $6 base fare or whatever they claim it actually costs the MTA per ride and then maybe fare revenue would finally scale with ridership.

I now believe they’ve sucked so much out of the future we may be doomed anyway.

If they want my support for fare increases, put making the retired (who cashed in and left us this mess) pay income taxes, defaulting on debts, and shedding retiree health care obligations on the table. In the latter case, perhaps the union members would be willing to pay up for universal health care that also included the serfs if they might be in the same boat.

At this point, I’d much rather pay a higher fare and have the money go right to the MTA. Making them fight for tax money (which still comes out of our pockets) will just waste more time.

More riders mean more expenses, and sometimes those expenses rise faster than ridership. Many of the MTA’s expenditures are large, all-or-nothing purchases. With a constant ridership level, the MTA only does maintenance and scheduled purchases of new equipment. With more and more riders, it may have to make unscheduled large purchases or capital improvements that won’t pay off for years or even decades. Hence, in the short term, it loses money from more riders.