For those insomniacs and early-risers among us, I wanted to alert you to an upcoming media hit. I’ll be on CBS 2’s Eye on New York program later today to talk about the MTA and its impending fare hike. The program airs at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, and Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign and I speak with host Dana Tyler for a segment on transit. If, like me, you plan to be asleep at 6:30 a.m. this morning, I should be able to post the video later this week. Otherwise, set your DVRs and VCRs. I promise you it’s well worth it.
Category:
Asides
Toward an international fare payment standard
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 8, 2010
Ever so slowly, the MTA is forging ahead with a pilot to bring next-generation fare payment technology to New York City. The MetroCard with its swipe and magnetic strip has been outdated since the day it was introduced to the subway system, and Jay Walder, who helped usher in the age of the contactless Oyster Card in London, is pushing forward with a plan to tie subway entrance fees into credit cards with smart chips in them. By reducing the costs of fare collection by just a few cents, the MTA would save tens of millions of dollars every year, and New Yorkers wouldn’t have to carry yet another piece of plastic around with them.
Today, we learn that Transport for London is working on its own plans to bring a credit card-based contactless payment system to the Underground, and they’re doing so in conjunction with the MTA, among others. According to The Telegraph, Transport for London officials are in talks with a number of international cities to ensure a common standard for next-gen fare payment plans. These cities include New York, Boston, Chicago, Paris, Sydney and Manchester.
Needless to say, a fare cooperative on an international level would be a boon for travelers. It would encourage even more subway use among tourists as negotiating potentially foreign fare systems would no longer be an obstacle to use. This is forward-thinking policy on a global scale.
Gov. Christie officially kills ARC Tunnel
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 7, 2010
Despite reports yesterday that the ARC Tunnel could be saved, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced this afternoon that the state will be canceling the trans-Hudson project amidst concerns that the real costs of the project will far exceed the current $8.7-billion. As the federal government has told New Jersey that the state must cover any cost overruns, Christie, as we learned earlier this week, did not believe New Jersey could foot that bill. The $3 billion New Jersey had earmarked for this project will go toward other transportation projects, including a mix of road and rail investments.
While speaking in Trenton this afternoon, Christie issued the following statement: ““The ARC project costs far more than New Jersey taxpayers can afford and the only prudent move is to end this project. There is no doubt that transportation projects are critical to creating jobs and growing our economy. I have asked Commissioner Simpson and Executive Director Weinstein to work with all interested parties – Amtrak, the Federal Transit Administration, the Port Authority, the State and City of New York and our Congressional delegation – to explore approaches to modernize and expand capacity for the Northeast Corridor. However, any future project must recognize the regional and national scale of such an effort and work within the scope of the State’s current fiscal and economic realities.”
Paul Krugman is not amused. Details to come.
Walder: MTA Board will vote for $104 unlimited card
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 5, 2010
While speaking on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show this morning, Jay Walder reiterated his stance on the MTA’s upcoming fare hike proposal: As he said last week, the MTA Board will not approve a proposal to cap the number of rides available to those who use timed cards and will instead vote on a larger increase for the unlimited ride cards. The authority will do away with the 1- and 14-day passes while the 30-day cards will cost $104 and the 7-day cards will carry a $29 price tag.
The MTA Board will vote on Thursday morning, and the fare hikes will go into effect on January 1. “The discounts that we give on the monthly pass are much steeper than the discounts that we give on the weekly pass,” Walder says. “At the same time, if you look at the income level of the people who buy weekly passes and monthly passes, more lower income people buy weekly passes than monthly passes. So we sought to be able to limit the increases on those fare options that lower income people use the most.”
AT&T, T-Mobile sign on for underground cell service
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 4, 2010
With MTA CEO and Chairman Jay Walder pushing hard for technological innovation underground, Transit Wireless renewed its attempts at bringing cell and wifi service to the subway system. The company’s three-year old plan had fallen by the wayside struggled to secure financial backing. When the money came in, so too did the cell companies.
As Business Week reported late last week, AT&T and T-Mobile have signed on to offer their service in the subways. The two cell companies have reportedly inked ten-year deals with Transit Wireless, and the deals can be renewed four times for five years each. As Michael Grynbaum reports, the service should be ready to go in six stations around 14th St. by the end of 2011, and Transit Wireless will have the entire underground part of the subway system cell-ready by the end of 2015.
While this project is well behind Transit Wireless’ initial launch date, that carriers are serious about it is a very good sign. As Walder said to The Times, “Phone carriers signing on is further proof that this project is a reality.” No longer will the subways be the last bastion of relief from cell signals, and in a few years, we’ll find out if constant access brings with a panacea or a prison in this hyper-connecte city of ours.
NYC bus driver voted new ATU president
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 1, 2010
The Amalgamated Transit Union, the city’s biggest bus driver union, has voted one of New York’s own as their next president. The ATU announced yesterday that Larry Hanley, a 32-year New York City Transit veteran, has been elected head of the ATU International. Hanley, one of the founders of the Keep America Moving coalition, is billed as a reform candidate, and shortly after his election yesterday, he spoke with Labor Notes’ Mark Brennan about his plans for the union.
The interview touches upon a variety of topics that impact New Yorkers and Americans in general. Hanley talks about the need for better legislative action that keeps transit agencies afloat and talks about working with T4America to promote green jobs and transit expansion. He recognizes that unions have earned a bad rap these days but seems to understand that car culture, particularly in New York City, is bad for our community and our environment. “If we can organize and convince the users of mass transit and the workers of mass transit that they have a common interest, and if you carry that forward into different areas in the labor movement, that is a long, hard battle but it’s in reach. It’s also an imperative,” he said. “If we don’t do it we’ll cease to exist.”
Unlimited MetroCards expected to stay that way
written by Benjamin Kabak on September 30, 2010
The MTA Board will hold an official vote on the 2011 fare hikes during its special meeting on October 7, but agency CEO and Chairman Jay Walder expects the unlimited cards to remain unlimited. While speaking on the fare hike hearings during yesterday’s board meeting, Walder noted how public sentiment was firmly against the capped passes. “I think New Yorkers said they really like having an uncapped, unlimited monthly pass to go around the city,” he said said. “The likelihood is that you will see a monthly pass consistent with the monthly pass we have now…”It’s safe to say there wasn’t a lot an enthusiasm for a capped pass.”
The MTA had been toying with the idea of instituting a 90-ride cap on 30-day passes, and those MetroCards would have cost $99. With that plan seemingly off the table, the authority expects the 30-day cards to pass the century mark as a month of unlimited rides will soon cost $104. “It’s bittersweet,” said Gene Russianoff, whose Straphangers Campaign fought hard for the unlimited cards. “A $15 increase is a lot of money. It’s $180 a year that people are going to have to dig deeper into their pockets.”
Arrests up for fare jumping as summons amnesty looms
written by Benjamin Kabak on September 29, 2010
New York City police officers have arrested over 15,700 people for fare evasion this year, the Daily News reported earlier this week. According to Pete Donohue, this total represents an 11 percent increase over the 2009 numbers, but police officials “refused to say” if the increase came about because of a decline in station agents or if the NYPD has ramped up enforcement efforts in light of fewer MTA employees manning the system’s entrances. Summonses for fare evasion has remained constant at approximately 50,000 this year, and fare evaders only for their fifth violation or if they have a criminal record.
Meanwhile in an effort to capture revenue from nearly three million unpaid summonses, the Transit Adjudication Board is offering a month of late-fee amnesty for the violators who have not yet paid their fines. As Tom Namako of The Post reports, from October 1-31, TAB will waive late fees and interest penalties in the hopes that more people will pay their fines. Usually, police officers issue approximately 125,000 summonses annually for quality-of-life violations ranging from graffiti to unruly conduct to seat-hogging, but only around 83,000 of those fines are paid in full. This year, says Namako, TAB expects cops to dole only 112,000 tickets.
Overtime reductions set to reach $54 million
written by Benjamin Kabak on September 28, 2010
In late May, as the MTA unveiled its push to trim its massive budget gap, the authority pledged to control overtime costs. The authority’s financial gurus believed that the MTA could save $22 million in 2010 through better policing of overtime abuse and better oversight of sick day use. Yesterday, the agency announced it has exceeded its goal and then some as overtime reductions will reach $54 million in 2010 alone.
“Reducing overtime is a key part of our efforts to use every fare and taxpayer dollar wisely, and I am pleased that we have been able to achieve real results in just a few months,” MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder said. “We have a lot of work still to do, but we’ve shown that by focusing in key areas we can earn critically needed savings across our agencies.”
According to the MTA, various policies and operating procedures have led to these cost savings which will continue in the future. At Transit, for instance, the MTA saved $24 million by limiting overtime to critical activities and filling vacancies that were creating a high need for overtime. At the commuter railroads, the MTA worked to “rebalance workloads” to cut down on overtime, and at Bridges and Tunnels, employees must be pre-approved for overtime and can no longer accrue hours during vacation time. With overtime reductions already amounting to 11 percent, I wonder what more New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will find in his upcoming forensic audit.
TAB tabbed for lack of translators
written by Benjamin Kabak on September 24, 2010
New York City Transit’s much-maligned Transit Adjudication Bureau has once again come under fire from civil liberties advocates. As Pete Donohue of the Daily News reports today, the NYCLU, in a letter to NYC Transit, claims that these administrative hearings are violating the law by not providing translators to defendants who cannot speak or understand English. “Beyond being unfair, this practice is illegal,” the letter says. “Not only does the Transit Authority’s failure to provide interpreter services violate the Civil Rights Act, it violates the United States Constitution and New York Constitution.”
To bolster this argument, Times reporter Karen Zraick observed one TAB hearing in which a Spanish-speaking defendant had to resort to another person in the waiting room who could offer a bare-bones translation of the proceedings. This is not the first time the NYCLU has challenged part of the TAB process. Late last year, the group won a legal fight to open up the hearings. The MTA has so far declined to comment on this current matter.