NYC Bus/Subway fares jump to $2

[cookiegirl]

Bus, subway fares raised to $2 in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) _ City bus and subway fares will jump by 50 cents to $2 this spring under a decision Thursday that will affect more than 7 million daily commuters on the nation's largest mass transit system.
The increase, the first since November 1995, will take effect
May 4. The fare hike will put New York on par with Philadelphia, with its $2 base cash fare for subways. A ride in New York will be more expensive than one in Chicago ($1.50), Atlanta ($1.75), San
Francisco (soon to be $1.25) or Boston ($1).
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it needs the
money to deal with an estimated $952 million deficit over the next
two years.
``We can't do everything that everybody wants,'' MTA Chairman
Peter Kalikow said during a public hearing. ``It's impossible.''
After the vote, a crowd chanted at board members, ``Shame on
you! Shame on you!''
``As you've heard, again and again, New Yorkers are outraged,'' Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz told the board. ``It makes absolutely no sense to even consider a fare increase.''
The board also boosted tolls on its bridges and tunnels,
including the Triborough Bridge and the Queens Midtown and
Brooklyn-Battery tunnels, by 50 cents to $4. Fares will also rise
25 percent on the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road commuter lines May 1.
The board also decided to close 62 part-time token booths and
phase out subway tokens, which were created in 1953 when fares rose from 10 cents to 15 cents and turnstiles were unable to accept two coins at once.
The token has been remodeled several times, but is now
overshadowed by the popular Metrocards. Getting rid of the tokens saves the agency $6 million.

[sauvee88]

yeah - I know...... bastards!!!

[vicman]

how much will a 1 day pass, 7 day pass and 28 day pass cost now?

[cookiegirl]

The specific elements of the plan are:

An increase in NYCT subway and regular bus fares, Staten Island Railway and LI Bus regular fares, from $1.50 to $2.00 and NYCT Express Bus fares from $3 to $4.

An increase in the 7-day MetroCard pass from $17 to $21, the one-day pass from $4 to $7, and the 30-day pass from $63 to $70.

The introduction of a new 7-day Express Bus pass, priced at $33.

[vicman]

good thing i dont live in NY anymore

[sauvee88]

[cookiegirl]

In DC news. . .

You'll soon be paying more for a cab ride in DC.

That's because the DC Taxicab commission has approved a $1.00 per trip gas surcharge to help cabbies deal with the rapidly rising fuel costs.

The extra charge takes effect on March 21st, and will remain in effect for 120 days.

Window decals will alert taxi passengers to the new surcharge.

. . . and . . .

DC Metro officials want to start trains at 5 a.m. weekdays, a half-hour earlier than they do now, and shut them down at 3 a.m. on weekend nights - an hour later than they now close.

Officials hope the expanded hours will help justify a planned hike in ticket prices.

A study forecast a cost of $3 million for the extra hours and anticipates an extra 1.1 million riders per year. The lowest fare now costs $1.10.

The board that governs Metro operations must approve the new plan, which would not be launched until July 1.

[vicman]

sux for people that ride the metro and take cabs a lot. gald i have my car..then again i have to deal with the rising fuel costs.

[mysteriousss]

No matter where you are and what transportation you take, you're screwed either way... I guess I'll have to go get a Saturn or Geo Metro not to spend as much on gas