Comments on: Succinctly pointing a finger at Albany

By: On congestion pricing, service cuts and user fees :: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:22:53 +0000

[...] a transit-based city — the “most transit-dependent city in the country,” as Andrew Albert said — we as a society are better off with more service. (In fact, that is the beauty of the [...]

By: Will

Will — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:40:45 +0000

Been reading this site for years now – keep up the great work!

By: rhywun

rhywun — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:50:30 +0000

Agencies are spun off in hopes of being less susceptible to politics, but of course recent events have shown how effective that is.

By: SuchAndSuch

SuchAndSuch — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:30:28 +0000

Is it true that the MTA is actually not a “government” arm per se, and more like a group of political appointees who (like the bosses at OTB) are able to basically freeload & collect their salaries and benefits…and leaving the state & city effectively run the transit system?

And: I just discovered this site thru a link on GAWKER…very interesting, and I’ll definitely be back. Thanks for putting in the time to create and maintain it!

By: zz

zz — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:04:35 +0000

A failure of government, yes. But this has also been a failure of advocacy. The Straphangers Campaign and other advocates have been doing the public no favors with their utterly unserious approach to dealing with MTA’s festering fiscal crisis. Other metro regions have a vibrant and effective transit advocacy community, but tragically ours is calcified.

Thank you, Benjamin, for your thoughtful work on these issues.

By: Mike Nitabach

Mike Nitabach — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:21:59 +0000

You should be very proud of yourself, Benjamin!

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:23:46 +0000

Let’s be clear that this was a failure of democracy. The state legislatures knew exactly what they were doing, and so far they have succeeded. The problem is that we’ve gotten a legislature that is so unrepresentative of the people that they can do things like this and still (apparently) get re-elected next year.

By: Tomás

Tomás — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:38:16 +0000

Articles like this one make really great this site, and yes, I absolutely agree with all what you state here.

Congratulations on the great work!!!

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:28:22 +0000

New York City Transit recovers about 40% of its total expenses, operating and capital, from fares; the subway recovers 67%, the buses 20-something percent. MNRR recovers 40% as well, LIRR a little under 30%.

And globally, $2.25 is pretty expensive. In Paris, the base fare is €1.60, which in purchasing power terms is $2; with a pay-per-ride it’s €1.16, and an unlimited monthly costs €56.60. In Madrid, the base fare is €1 unless you’re going out into the suburbs. In Tokyo, short and medium-distance trips cost about ¥160-200, i.e. $1.60-2.00.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:36:39 +0000

I believe the MTA doesn’t even recover half their operating expenses from fares alone. The majority of it is covered with taxes and government funding.

It’s the price we pay for having a low-price transit system. I don’t know of any other in the world that’s as vast for only $2.25 a ride.