Tag Archive | "poll"

POLL: Is the MTA's Fare Ad Fair?


I spotted this ad on the 3 train while riding to the Brooklyn public hearing earlier this month. It was the first time I had seen it since…well…probably 2008.

Two things struck me: 1) it’s obviously outdated and 2) it compares the 1986 standard fare to the reduced fare offered by the 2008 monthly MetroCard, which doesn’t seem fair. It made me wonder how cheap is it, really, to ride the subway these days?

Using the MTA’s comparison, a single ride is actually more expensive today than it was in 1986. One dollar back then is equal to $1.98 today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 27 cents less than the cost of a single ride now.

Of course, the MetroCard is a big help — if you are a commuter. To bring a ride back down to the 1986 price, you have to take 45 subway or bus trips per month.


* graph is based on standard adult single-ride rail fares

It’s difficult to compare New York’s mass transit fares to the other metro rails around the world. It’s one of few that do not have distance-based fares. But it is in line with Chicago and Paris, which also have set rates.

Take our poll and let us know what you think about New York City’s mass transit fares.

— Simone Sebastian

Posted in Commuters, Politics and MoneyComments Off on POLL: Is the MTA's Fare Ad Fair?

But Can You Tell the Difference?


amNY reported this morning that MTA officials aren’t filling cleaning shifts when employees call out sick. From the article:

Unfulfilled duties include day-to-day cleaning, deeper scrub downs and garbage pickup on the rails at major hubs like 34th Street, Times Square and 14th Street, the documents show. The problem is especially bad at night and when it snows, as cleaners sometimes have to shovel, union official said.

The question, of course, is do riders even notice?

Posted in CommutersComments Off on But Can You Tell the Difference?