Politics & Government

MTA's 'Green Fee' Raises More Than Expected

Straphangers Campaign pushes subway officials to put extra into station cleaning.

By Matthew Hampton

Here's a rare opportunity for New York City's transit authority: a chance to put their money where their mouth is.

At a recent City Council hearing, the MTA revealed that their $1 MetroCard "Green Fee," which began in March, has brought in more money than expected in its first month.

Because more riders reportedly just knuckled under and paid the extra dollar for a new card, rather than reusing their old ones, the MTA has seen more green than expected in the first month of returns.

So what to do with all them extra ducats, especially if the trend continues? This is a loaded question for an agency that infamously fritters away every spare dime, despite repeated fare increases.

One group, the Straphangers Campaign, believes any surplus funding from the MTA's Green Fee should be used to clean up subway stations, and wrote a letter to acting MTA head Thomas Prendergast saying so.

"One of the main points of the green fee was to create an incentive for riders to reduce litter by reusing their MetroCards," wrote Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign. "That's why the Straphangers Campaign supported it, despite its widespread unpopularity among riders. It makes sense to direct any surplus funds to station cleaning."

In an interview Tuesday, Russianoff said that expecting commuters to change their behavior in just a month is unrealistic — especially since New Yorkers are famous for sloughing off their garbage, particularly in the subways.

"We're just not a recycling city. It's totally irrational behavior to throw away your MetroCard and get a new one, but people do that," he said.

If the trend keeps up — and the MTA is taking a wait-and-see approach — Russianoff said any surplus over the estimated $20 million that the transit giant accrues should be used to clean up the city's famously filthy subway stations.

"There's the possibility, if not the promise, of a surplus at the end of the rainbow, and we'd like it to be used it to clean the stations," Russianoff said. "Of course it's possible it won't be the trend. Next year they may say they have a better estimate." 


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