Politics & Government

MTA to Hold Hearing on Proposed Fare Hikes

Commuters invited to comment on proposed train ticket and toll changes.

Residents are invited to attend a public hearing hosted by the MTA Monday night to address proposed fare hikes for 2011.

The MTA is proposing to increase fare and toll revenues by 7.5 percent in January 2011. As proposed, this increase could mean as much as a 9.4 percent fare increase for Long Island Rail Road commuters.

Other proposed changes include reducing the time period during which certain ticket types are valid, increasing fees for certain ticket transactions, and eliminating the 2 percent Mail & Ride discount and the 4 percent MetroCard discount for joint purchase of monthly commutation tickets and MetroCards.

Find out what's happening in Three Villagewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The hearing will take place Monday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Suffolk County Legislature in Smithtown. Registration opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Speakers can also register online at the MTA website, or by calling 212-878-7483.

According to a statement on the MTA's website, "In the spring of 2009 a multi-year financial framework was developed to address the MTA's budget shortfalls in recognition of the vital role that mass transit plays in the region. Fare and toll increases were a key component of this overall strategy which also included enactment of new state taxes and fees to support the MTA. Fares and tolls were expected to rise in 2011 and 2013, and in each of these years the planned increases were to generate an additional 7.5 percent in new revenue."

Find out what's happening in Three Villagewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In recent years commuters have incurred a 10 percent increase in June 2009, a 4 percent increase in March 2008 and an 8 percent increase in March 2005. Recent proposed fare hikes would take effect Jan 1., 2011, resulting in an over 30 percent increase over the past five years.

In addition to these proposed fare increases, deep service cuts took effect Monday. The new schedules implement the second phase of budget-related cuts in LIRR service that were approved by the MTA Board in March. According to the MTA, the service reductions will save approximately $950,000 this year and $3.8 million annually starting in 2011.
 
"However, the LIRR will be monitoring the changes in the new timetable and will make schedule adjustments, as necessary, based on additional ridership and possible crowding on trains," the website states.

Peter Haynes, president of the LIRR Commuters Campaign, has attended a few meetings in the past, but said he believes that the "MTA just goes through the motions of listening."

"Then they do whatever they want," he added. "I think there are more productive actions to take against the MTA than attending meetings that are mandatory and just for show. They could establish a passengers advisory committee, where commuters and other interested passengers would be able to pass input to the MTA (and its sub agencies) on complaints, suggestions, etc. There would then be a formal review process and a resolution that would be publicly available on a website."

Many commuters at the Stony Brook train station this week were frustrated by the new proposed fare hike.

"That would be bad for me because I already spend a lot on train tickets," said Thomas Sullivan, who takes the train back and forth from Port Jefferson to Stony Brook several times a week.

Danielle Grant, a Stony Brook University student who commutes via train from Westbury, said fare increases will cause financial strain.

"I really don't approve of the fare hikes," she said. "It's not really fair at all."


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