MTA to Hold Hearing on Proposed Fare Hikes

Residents are invited to attend a public hearing hosted by the MTA Thursday night to address proposed fare hikes for 2011.

The MTA is proposing to increase fare and toll revenues by 7.5 percent in January 2011. As proposed, this increase could mean as much as a 9.4 percent fare increase for Long Island Rail Road commuters.

Other proposed changes include reducing the time period during which certain ticket types are valid, increasing fees for certain ticket transactions, and eliminating the 2 percent Mail & Ride discount and the 4 percent MetroCard discount for joint purchase of monthly commutation tickets and MetroCards.

According to a statement on the MTA's website, "In the spring of 2009 a multi-year financial framework was developed to address the MTA's budget shortfalls in recognition of the vital role that mass transit plays in the region. Fare and toll increases were a key component of this overall strategy which also included enactment of new state taxes and fees to support the MTA. Fares and tolls were expected to rise in 2011 and 2013, and in each of these years the planned increases were to generate an additional 7.5 percent in new revenue."

In addition to these proposed fare increases, deep service cuts took effect Monday. The new schedules implement the second phase of budget-related cuts in LIRR service that were approved by the MTA Board in March. According to the MTA, the service reductions will save approximately $950,000 this year and $3.8 million annually starting in 2011.

"However, the LIRR will be monitoring the changes in the new timetable and will make schedule adjustments, as necessary, based on additional ridership and possible crowding on trains," their website states.

These service reductions include:

Port Jefferson branch:

• Discontinue train departing Hunterspoint Ave at 5:11 p.m.; the train will instead originate at Huntington.

Ronkonkoma branch:

• Discontinue train departing Atlantic Terminal at 4:34 p.m.
• Discontinue all service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport except during summer weekends.
• Reduce the length of two trains by two cars each.

Oyster Bay branch:

• Discontinue weekend trains to Oyster Bay departing Jamaica at 1:35 a.m. and return train departing Oyster Bay at 7:20 a.m.

Montauk branch:

• Discontinue train departing Hunterspoint at 4:30 p.m. (excluding Fridays during summer).

In recent years commuters have incurred a 10-percent increase in June 2009, a four-percent increase in March 2008 and an eight-percent increase in March 2005. Recent proposed fare hikes would take effect Jan 1., 2011, resulting in a 30-percent fare increase over the past five years.

Peter Haynes, president of the LIRR Commuters Campaign has attended a few meetings in the past, but said he believes that the "MTA just goes through the motions of listening."

"Then they do whatever they want," he added "I think there are more productive actions to take against the MTA than attending meetings that are mandatory and just for show. They could establish a passengers advisory committee, where commuters and other interested passengers would be able to pass input to the MTA(and its sub agencies) on complaints, suggestions, etc. There would then be a formal review process and a resolution that would be publicly available on a website."

The hearing will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Garden City Hotel. Registration opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Speakers can also register online at the MTA website, or by calling 212-878-7483.