MTA tries to sneak in a higher fare hike

So the fare hike. We’re talking about that confusing fare hike with the two-tiered fare structure, the supposed off-peak discounted and the upcoming public hearings designed to solicit rider opinion. Well, it ends up that the fare hike is not as straightforward — or as cheap — as was originally reported.

Since the end of September, all of the fare hike coverage had focused on this off-peak proposal. By charging people $1.50 for off-peak rides, the MTA hopes some riders were eschew rush hour travel for less crowded times. It’s an artificial — but potentially effective — way of alleviating subway overcrowding. But now the bombshell: That $1.50 may just be a pipe dream. According to a report in The Daily News, that off-peak fare could end up being $1.75 instead of the originally reported figure of a $1.50.

Take it away Pete Donohue:

The MTA may jack up fares even higher than top staffers proposed in September, the authority revealed on Tuesday as it set hearing dates for riders to sound off.

Public notices announcing next month’s hearings warn riders that Metropolitan Transportation Authority next year could impose a peak fare of $2.25 – without a discount option that could soften the blow for many rush-hour riders. The base fare is now $2. The notices also for the first time say an off-peak fare – proposed by top MTA staffers last month to be set at $1.50 – could actually cost $1.75.

According to MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin, these posters were designed to give riders a look at the wider range of options that the MTA board will face in December. The board has to figure out how to raise nearly $600 million in revenue over the next two years, and a $1.75 off-peak fare, which doesn’t represent much of a discount from the current buy-five-rides, get-six deal in place, is just one of many solutions.

Furthermore, this $1.75 figure isn’t the only surprise on the poster (available here as a PDF). The other changes include reducing or eliminating the bonus on pay-per-ride Metrocards of $10 or more; increasing the cost of a 30-day unlimited card to $84 or $2 more than was originally announced; eliminating the one-day Fun Pass entirely; and increasing the minimum amount on one Metrocard to six dollars or one and a half round trips.

While the MTA notes that these higher figures are, in the words of Soffin, “not our proposal,” it is dismaying to see even higher figures emerge on the official announcements of public hearings. Considering the fact that New York subway riders are facing a very substantial fare hike, the MTA should be as transparent as possible with its numbers over the next two months.

We need full public accounting for the fare hike; we need to know how much the fares are going up; we need assurances that we’ll be better better and more reliable service. While I’m hoping for accountability, I fear the smoke and mirrors. These posters are not reassuring.