{"id":138,"date":"2010-08-24T12:52:47","date_gmt":"2010-08-24T16:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iamdann.com\/?p=138"},"modified":"2011-01-29T18:04:57","modified_gmt":"2011-01-29T23:04:57","slug":"nyc-subway-fare-hike-is-absurd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iamdann.com\/2010\/08\/24\/nyc-subway-fare-hike-is-absurd","title":{"rendered":"NYC Subway Fare Hike is Absurd"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (MTA) has announced that it’s considering massive prices hikes. Prices much higher than previously suggested<\/a>. With the current proposal, prices for an unlimited monthly metro card would raise from $89 to $130<\/a>! That’s an increase of 46% with almost no warning at all. Not cool.<\/p>\n

When looking at the history of New York City subway price increases, this latest proposed cost increase is almost farcical. New York public transportation prices are already one of the highest in the country, if not around the world<\/a>. Raising fares by 46% overnight would not only be an abuse of power and just plain wrong.<\/p>\n

\"Subway<\/a>(source<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

I will admit that New York does have some of the best public transportation in the world (despite recent route revisions and cuts<\/a>). This is one of the few cities where most people find that owning a car is a larger hassle than not<\/em> owning a car. Between subways, buses, and taxis, one can easily travel anywhere in the five boroughs of New York City at any time. Despite this, many commuters constantly feel used and abused by the MTA. Whether these feelings are justified or not does not matter. Riders feel this way, therefore it is up to the organization to act accordingly, either by addressing common complaints directly or improving communication in regards to behind the scenes changes currently underway.<\/p>\n

\"HomelessIt is amazing to me that a fare hike this substantial can be legal. It is not my fault that the MTA was unable to balance their budget and are now deeply in debt<\/a>. I am a good commuter. I purchase my metrocard through the machines and not from any random scalpers. I don’t sell people swipes from my unlimited card. In fact, I would be perfectly content to pay more money for my metrocard if there were marked improvements being made to the trains and subway stations. But that’s simply not the case. If you want me to support a substantial price increase, let’s see just a few basic improvements:<\/p>\n