A quick note for the late crew/early risers: I’m going to be on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday morning. I’ll be talking about the Straphangers Campaign’s subway report cards with the morning show hosts. Rumor has it that Gene Russianoff will be on as well. If you’re up and around a TV at that hour, give it a watch.
Category:
Asides
For MNR and LIRR, an almost-better refund policy
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 23, 2012
When the MTA raised last year, one of the more outrageous money-grabs involved the validity period for Metro-North and LIRR tickets. The MTA shortened the time period for pre-purchased ticket use down to two weeks, instituted a $10-refund fee and generally angered everyone. As part of the service investments set to roll out over the next year, the authority has rolled back some of these more stringent measures, but a key barrier to any refund remains in place.
Beginning September 4, one-way and round-trip tickets will be valid for a period of two months, and the refund period will last the same amount of time. A ten-trip ticket will remain valid for six month, and its refund will be lengthened to six months as well. The $10 prcoessing fee for all refunds, however, will remain in place to help, as the MTA said, “recoup some of the administrative expenses of issuing and mailing checks.”
MTA Chairman Joe Lhota made this out to be a win for customer relations, and it certainly is. “We’re pleased that the cost containment efforts of our commuter railroads, combined with increased ridership, make it possible to broaden our ticket validity and refund policies to further benefit Long Island Rail Road and Metro North customers,” he said in a statement. “This benefit will cost the railroads $6 million, but combined with the expanded service investments announced last week, shows the MTA’s commitment to customer service.”
The truth remains, however, that many railroad tickets cost less than the $10 processing fee. Thus, customer still will not enjoy the benefits of a longer refund period if the economics don’t make sense. It’s an effort to avoid allowing riders whose tickets aren’t punched from cashing it, but $10 seems like a steep price to pay for processing.
T&LC approves cab fare hike for September
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 12, 2012
Come September, New Yorkers will be paying more for their cab rides, and the bulk of that increase will go toward taxi drivers. The Taxi & Limousine Commission voted to approve a fare hike today. With six in favor, two against and one abstaining, the commission members authorized what will amount to an average hike of 17 percent. Meter ticks will cost 50 cents, and the flat fare from JFK to Manhattan will climb to $52.
After the hikes, David Yassky, head of the T&LC, called the vote a victory for cabbies. “Taxi drivers have been working hard for six years with no raise,” he said. “There comes a time you need to make sure people can earn a decent living.”
Meanwhile, as I explored on Tuesday, medallion owners were not happy. “What happened today was not a package,” Michael Woloz, spokesman for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, said. “It was a lopsided giveback to the drivers.” The Board, whose members will not enjoy a similar bump in the least rate paid by cab drivers, may look to sue the city, but I expect that to be a useless exercise in litigation.
Metro-North to test smartphone-based paperless tickets
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 11, 2012
As New York City Transit’s effort to replace the MetroCard with something a bit more modern slowly inches forward, Metro-North will be testing a smartphone-based paperless ticket system this summer. The railroad announced today a project in conjunction with Masabi that will allow its riders to user a smartphone app to buy tickets. Eventually, there will be no need for cash, frustrating lines at ticket machines or steep on-board surcharges for last-minute purchases.
“We are as excited to begin testing the next generation ticket selling technology as we were when we introduced ticket vending machines a quarter of a century ago,” Metro-North President Howard Permut said in a statement. “Our customers adapted quickly to TVMs and the machines became the preferred way to buy tickets. The latest test is intended to ensure that the newest technology will be equally easy to use, as well as secure and reliable.”
The initial pilot, however, is a strange one as Metro-North employees will act as guinea pigs. They’ll have the free app on their phones and will purchase the tickets — any type — for use. The e-tickets will show an image a conductor can then validate with a barcode scanner. The initial pilot will include a time measurement study to compare electronic purchases with on-board transactions and inspection efforts. The MTA will also keep an eye on anti-fraud measures before decided whether or not to expand this program to all riders.
I expect this to be a smooth and quick pilt. Masabi is a leader in the field in the U.K. with smartphone ticketing apps available for 13 rail agencies. The company is also assisted the MBTA in a smartphone ticketing project as well. The only drawback I see here is that the LIRR isn’t involved. Provincial agency turf lines know no bounds, it seems.
Political power and an impending cab fare hike
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 10, 2012
The most recent increase to the city’s taxi fare structure arrived in 2009 in the form of a 50-cent MTA surcharge, but New York City taxi fares haven’t been restructured since 2004. Cab drivers, who are fighting higher gas prices and a dollar that doesn’t go as far, have been agitating for an increase, and Taxi and Limousine Commission is poised to oblige. In a vote on Thursday, the TLC is expected to authorize a hike that will raise fares by an average of 17 percent per ride.
The details are fairly simple: The $2.50 pick-up fee will remain the same, but a meter tick will jump from 40 cents to 50. A trip from JFK to Manhattan will cost $52 while the Newark Airport surcharge will rise to $17.50. For the benefit of taxi riders, the credit card surcharge on drivers will shift to a flat fee of $9 from its current five percent levy. The TLC believes this move will lead cabbies to be more accepting of plastic.
Although the fare structure is straightforward, the back-and-forth over the proposed hike highlights the battles that impact that taxi industry. The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which represents medallion owners, slammed the proposal as retaliation for their lawsuit against the Outer Borough medallion program while the New York Taxi Workers Alliance criticized the modest increase in lease fees the new fare structure will bring.
As Michael Powell eloquently wrote in today’s Times, these are the battles that shape the taxi industry. Wealthy, centralized medallion owners control the purse strings and our local politicians while drivers who make less today than they did a few years ago garner little respect from anyone. Soon, we’ll all be paying more for cabs, and no one, it seems, will be too happy.
For the B61, a BusTime bonus for bad service
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 5, 2012
While it is no substitute for more frequent service or the reopening of the F/G stop at Smith/9th Sts., Brooklyn-based riders of the B61 received a welcome addition to their route this week as Transit brought Bus Time to this beleaguered line. Beginning this past Monday, bus riders from Windsor Terrace to Downtown Brooklyn, by way of Red Hook, are now able to track the buses as they amble down the line. As the B61 is one of the borough’s least reliable routes, riders will now know just how late their buses will be.
In a sense, this type of technological upgrade is a cheap and ineffective substitute for better service. People don’t just want to know their bus is late; rather, they want buses to be on time and frequent. On the other hand though, numerous studies have shown mass transit riders are willing to weather longer waits if they know how far away the next bus is. The complaints shouldn’t cease, but wait times may be more tolerable if the element of surprise is removed.
The B61 joins the B63, the M34 and all of Staten Island as Bus Time-ready routes. The city-wide rollout will be completed by the end of 2013.
Staten Island leading the way in bus fare evasion
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 2, 2012
As the 2012 focus on fare evasion continues, The Daily News has learned that the city’s most porous buses can be found on Staten Island. According to Pete Donohue’s latest, the S44 and the S74 are the citywide leaders in fare evasion with a greater percentage of riders opting not to pay. Three routes in the Bronx — the Bx19, Bx36 and Bx11 — rounded out the top five.
MTA Board Member and State Islander Allan Cappelli continued his crusade against free-loaders. “The problem is so pervasive it’s really going to require a sustained and publicized effort,” he said. “In order to eradicate it, we need to change people’s perception that they can get away with not paying, and that there’s no penalty for doing it.”
Police have so far responded in turn as arrests for fare evasion have increased by over 100 percent this year. With renewed focus on the economic losses due to fare evasion — nearly $100 million across the bus and subway networks — police enforcement will likely increase over the next few months. Is it money well spent? The jury will remain out on that question for some time.
For SAS Phase I, federal funding all in place
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 2, 2012
A few weeks ago, Rep. Carolyn Maloney issued a pair of press releases touting the release of the final rounds of federal funds for Phase I of the Second Ave. Subway construction. The House Transportation, Housing & Urban Development appropriation included over $123 million for the project, and the FTA released $197 million as well. These were, as Maloney noted, the final pieces of the federal funding puzzle.
In a press release, Maloney, who touted job growth and transit expansion, issued her perfunctory statement. “I am gratified that the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access, the two largest mass transit initiatives under construction anywhere in the country, are receiving merit-based, bipartisan support from the House of Representatives,” she said of the House grant. “I am particularly proud that this appropriation would be the final installment of the federal government’s commitment to the first phase of the project that I have worked my entire congressional career to achieve.”
So now that Phase I funding is in the books, Maloney can reaffirm her career-long commitment to the project by shifting her focus. She could become a leading voice for Phase II investment. While still project to cost a few billion dollars, the northern section of SAS includes tunnels that are already in place. Pre-built infrastructure should not lie fallow, and although the MTA has yet to make a push for Phase II, some assistance from Washington will only help to inch this never-ending project a little closer to completion.
From the MTA, a hot weather advisory
written by Benjamin Kabak on June 20, 2012
The MTA announced last night that the onslaught of hot weather expected New York City and stick around for two or three days could impact travel. With temperatures climbing into the upper 90s after a cool few weeks, the authority may have to reduce power consumption, with the reduction in usage impacting subway and train signals, overhead power lines and escalator and elevator service.
“While we are obligated to reduce power consumption, we will make every effort to provide safe and reliable service throughout our entire network,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota. “While extreme temperatures can affect our equipment and infrastructure, we will do everything possible to avoid service disruptions.”
The MTA says its goal is to “run trains on schedule and at regular intervals,” thus minimizing customers’ wait times on un-air conditioned and stiflingly hot underground platforms. Still, if the New York Power Authority implements its Peak Load Management plan to reduce demand, subways may run slower as the MTA powers down some substations. Additionally, I’ve noticed in the past that some of the authority’s newer computerized upgrades — such as the popular countdown clocks — may not be operating during periods of extreme hot.
It’s a scorcher out there. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and if you’re feeling ill, please do not board a subway train. As the heat drags on, I’ll be back in a bit with some musings on bus fare scofflaws.
Link: Brooklyn’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams
written by Benjamin Kabak on June 18, 2012
Although I don’t often delve into urban planning policy here, it is of course closely intertwined with public transit policy. Walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that are pedestrian-friendly will feed a smart, growth-oriented transit system and vice versa. One of the city’s greatest misses in the recent decade is, unfortunately, a three-avenue-block walk from my apartment, and I frequently see how poor urban planning can lead to some very pedestrian-unfriendly areas even amidst a wealth of transit options.
That avenue is Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn as it zooms past Park Slope. A change in zoning regulations in the early 2000s led to a renewed interest in development, but because of parking requirements and generally shoddy construction, the area is filled with ugly buildings with no commercial frontage on the avenue. It turned what could have been a grand boulevard into a wasteland with isolated pockets of alluring drinking establishments.
Today, in The Wall Street Journal, Robbie Whelan explores the mistakes made along Fourth Avenue and the street’s current state of affairs. As one with close ties to the area, I found the piece to be both depressing and illuminating. Hopefully, the Department of City Planning has already learned from its mistakes, and we can avoid creating through zoning boring streets in what should be a vibrant neighborhood.