Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
MTA

“People’s Fare Hike Hearing” Asks Albany to Take Action on MTA Funding

As the latest round of fare hike hearings -- the fourth in five years -- continues around the region, turnout is low but rants against the MTA board are still at a high boil. As usual, the elected officials who allocate resources to the transit system are shielded from public accountability.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera calls on his colleagues in Albany to increase the state's funding for the MTA. Photo: Stephen Miller

But today, on a busy sidewalk next to a bus stop getting more crowded as rush hour approached, transit advocates and elected officials directed their ire not at the MTA board, but at the source of the authority's funding woes: Albany. The coalition included State Senator Gustavo Rivera, City Council Member Jumaane Williams, Transportation Alternatives, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the Riders Alliance and the Straphangers Campaign.

Speakers were quick to praise Governor Cuomo and the MTA for the rapid response to Hurricane Sandy, but looked ahead to the MTA's shaky financial future. The fare hike looming next year is only the latest in a cascade of rising fares and service cuts that have struck transit riders, as the MTA has faced a brutal combination of legislative budget raids and escalating debt payments.

"Crisis response does not a healthy transit system make," said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White. "We cannot keep coming back to the riders time and again while other contributions to the budget diminish."

"We have to make sure that in the long term we commit ourselves as a state to putting the type of money that is necessary to maintain" the transit system, said Rivera. "We need that public transportation system to be funded fully and to be funded by the dedicated public transit taxes that are supposed to go to the system." In recent years, Albany has swiped more than $200 million from the MTA's dedicated taxes to plug holes in the state budget.

Until Albany decides to take action, the burden will continue to fall to riders. Hearings for the latest round of fare hikes are scheduled to continue in Manhattan and the Bronx tonight, and Queens and Westchester County on Thursday.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Beach Reading: Zohran Mamdani’s Answers to Streetsblog’s Mayoral Candidate Survey

Spend the holiday weekend with Zohran Mamdani's answers to Streetsblog's mayoral candidate questionnaire.

July 4, 2025

Friday Video: Why NYC Needs ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’

London's Church Street, like so many of our business corridors, was choking on cars — until the advent of the low-traffic neighborhood.

July 4, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: E-Bikes in Parks … Permanently Edition

The Parks Department will permanently allow e-bikes in city parks following a two-year pilot. Plus more news.

July 4, 2025

Anti-Miracle On 34th Street: Adams Administration Pauses Work On 34th Street Busway

The highly-anticipated 34th Street busway may not happen under Mayor Adams after all, sources said.

July 3, 2025

Manhattan DA Says Alleged Central Park Hit-and-Run Cyclist Didn’t Flee, Drops Charges

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old cyclist "remained on the scene for about 45 minutes after the crash and waited for paramedics to arrive to treat the injured person."

Sean Duffy’s ‘Great America Road Trip’ Wants You to Drive to Central Park

Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" encourages Americans to drive to sites in the most transit-rich and car-choked parts of the country.

July 3, 2025
See all posts