Prospect Heights Residents Mixed on MTA Fare Hikes

As a parting gift to the end of 2010, the Metropolitan Transit Authority recently graced New Yorkers with a fare increase for subway, bus, rail and bridge and tunnel crossings that took effect last Thursday.

The big kicker for most commuters is the cost of a 30-day unlimited card, which has risen from $89 to $104.  

In addition, the bonus for a pay-per-ride ticket has decreased from 15 percent to 7 percent, and the 14-day and one-day unlimited cards have been nixed. The MTA will also soon introduce a $1 surcharge on the purchase of all new cards (that is, if you don't refill the one you have), according to the MTA. 

Single rides remain the same, at $2.25, if you use a pay-per-ride MetroCard or pay with change on the bus. But if you buy one of those one-way paper MetroCards, it now costs $2.50.

On buses, each ride on an express bus will still cost you $5.50, but a 7-day express bus pass will cost $50, saving you a few bucks if you ride it at least 10 times per week.

The fare increase comes at a time when 8% of New Yorkers are unemployed, according to the Department of Labor, and directly after the holidays, when some families are just making ends meet.

"It makes no sense, so many people are unemployed right now," said Jose Rivera, a Prospect Heights resident walking along Vanderbilt Avenue. "How can you raise the fare now? Even people that are working have to pay more just to get to work."

"With the economy as it is, there are so many people out of work. (The increase) is too soon," said Derek Zanders, a resident, out on Washington Avenue. He thinks that the increase will cause more people to jump the turnstiles to get where they need to go.

If you ride a subway or bus for more than just commuting, you can still squeeze some savings out of the new unlimited card. If you hit at least 50 rides per month for the new 30-day unlimited the price is brought down to $2.08 per ride, according to the MTA. At 60 rides per month, the cost goes down to a pretty cheap $1.73 per ride.

"I know (the MTA) has to do what they have to do, there's a budget crisis," said Beth Hinners, a dog walker out on Vanderbilt Avenue. "What are they going to do, ignore the problem?"

Hinners admits that she is lucky because she lives and works in Prospect Heights.

"They've got to do what they've got to do," said Sean Lees, a commuter into Manhattan, echoing the same sentiment. "I'd rather see a rate hike than less service."

"I've used the BART in San Francisco and the Metro in D.C., and I always realize when I come home how good we have it," he said.