Evening Musings: Anticipating a 2010 fare hike

While the ink has hardly dried on the MTA Board’s imprimatur to the fare hikes and service cuts, transit advocates are gearing up for another round of hikes. Unfortunately for transit-dependent New Yorkers, the MTA may now be on an annual hike plan to cover its ever-growing debt payments, and the next fare hike may come along as early as 2010.

Streetsblog had word of a statement from Gene Russianoff on the potential frequency of future hikes:

Without new financial help from Albany soon, the MTA says its current bad finances may mean another fare hike in 2010.

That would make it three years in a row for fare increases — March 2008, June 2009 and early 2010 — the worst record in the MTA’s 40-plus year history.

It demonstrates a trend of shifting the costs of operating transit from some beneficiaries of the subways and buses — such as motorists and businesses — onto riders. For example, the riders’ share of operating costs for the subways will go from 69% to an astonishing 84%, according to the MTA, if the just-approved fare increases are implemented.

Under the plan proposed by former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch, no new fare hike would occur before 2011.

Of course, all of this — absent general inflation-based fare hikes — could be avoided if Albany were to act. In one swoop, the State Senate could avoid extreme fare hikes and service cuts this year and any fare hike next year.

Maybe though instead of waiting for Malcolm Smith to get his ducks in a row, Sheldon Silver should, as the Post suggested today, pass a one-house bailout. Assembly action would force the State Senate’s hand. It could also create more of a press and voter uproar over Senate inaction.

Anyway, transit’s future in New York City is bleak. The MTA needs a few billion for its operating budget and has a $30 billion five-year capital plan in its pocket too. At a time when the economy needs transit, when the environment needs transit, when the city needs transit, we’re sitting here talking about the potential for a third fare hike in three years rather than true progressive solutions to something that shouldn’t be such a problem.