Train Trouble Hits Hunter

Hunter students decry the fare hikes

By: Deandra Khan

Posted: 5/1/09

In a decision extremely unpopular with many New Yorkers, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted last month to increase public transportation fares even as the MTA cuts back on bus and train services.

The response from Hunter community is unequivocal: students say the plan "sucks."

The fare hike, which was approved on March 25, is set to go into effect on May 31 of this year unless the New York legislature decides on a bailout for the MTA, a remote possibility according to many.

Current bailout-less plans indicate that single-ride fares will increase from $2.00 to $2.50 per ride, while a 30-day unlimited MetroCard will now cost $103, a far cry from its original price of $81.

Some transportation service will also be cut. The new plan has eliminated overnight services of the M102 and M103 buses used by many Hunter students. The M23 bus, which helps Hunter students commute to the Brookdale labs, nursing school, and dorms will also see some service cuts.

The 6 train, which stops directly at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, will likely be affected as well. According to the MTA website, a revision of loading guidelines will now allow 125 percent of a seated load during weekday mid-days and evenings, resulting in "1-2 minute longer waits and larger passenger loads" for the 4, 5, and 6 trains.

In addition, some booth agents will be eliminated at certain stops along the 6 train, including 28th Street, 33rd Street, 42nd Street, and 59th Street, resulting in less MTA personnel.

These projections, listed in an extensive MTA transportation report, are expected to save the Authority millions of dollars each year.

For the subway-hopping Hunterites, though, the changes remain extremely unpopular.

Junior Danny Blondell said he wouldn't be surprised if the reason for the fare hike wasn't a true deficit, but corruption.

"It doesn't make sense that the MTA seems much worse off than other City agencies [even though it provides the worst service of all agencies]," he said. "I'd like to know where the MTA's money goes," he maintained.

Senior Katrina Basilio echoed this concern when she expressed a desire for more transparency. She noted that service on the M line, one she uses regularly, is being cut in half, necessitating more transfers and resulting in an overall slower journey into Manhattan.

Senior Ava Berman asked, "If we're expected to pay more, why are they cutting service?"

Still more students questioned what they thought was an odd way to raise money.

"The city has to raise revenue, but this is not the best way to do it. Everyone has to take the subway, and people who are less well off will be hit the worst," said Senior Seth Rosenbloom.

"And once the fares go up, they're not coming down," no matter the state of the economy or the MTA deficit, he added.

Many students noted they were stuck, since they have no viable alternative to public transportation

"I have no choice but to take the train," said Sophomore Alex Green. "Cabs and cars are way more expensive. It's a lose-lose situation."

Blondell initially contemplated using his bike more often.

Ultimately, though, he said, "Most likely, I will carry on using the MTA as always."

Freshman Tyler Alterman, who lives in the Brookdale dormitory, took a more optimistic view.

"I might consider walking to school. Maybe I'm depending on the subways too much-I could get some exercise, so it might be a good change," he said.

Students' one ray of hope is a governmental bailout. A plan proposed by former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch, for example, seeks to provide more governmental funding to the MTA and redirect revenue in order to avoid service cuts and minimize fare increase.

The proposal also mentions creating a new payroll tax and tolling the East and Harlem River Bridges instead of hiking fares by a large amount.

"These funding sources are necessary to support the ongoing operating and capital needs of the MTA," the plan states.

But the bailout idea is not universally popular. It has received considerable criticism from Senate Republicans and some Democrats. Given the opposition in the legislature, the rescue package is hardly a done deal.

Still, New Yorkers are determined to circumvent the fare hike.

Some will walk to work instead, they say.