by Katerina Radin
In 1904, when the New York City Subway first opened, the fare was five cents a ride. Back then, a nickel could get you a long way in New York, but today, it won’t get you anywhere in this city. It has been more than 100 years since the inception of the New York City Subway, and New Yorkers have seen the subway fare increase more than twenty times. So, it should come as no surprise that in March of this year the MTA announced yet another fare increase, upping the price of a single subway ride from $2.50 to $2.75 and raising bus, tunnel, and bridge fares. Altogether, the fare and toll increases are expected to bring $210 million dollars of revenue to the MTA in 2015, and help fund the MTA’s five-year capital plan, for which the agency is $15 billion short (Fitzsimmons, New York Times).
In a city that is becoming increasingly unaffordable, the fare increase is a hard hit for many New Yorkers. Community advocates fighting for equitable transportation argue that the fare increase bars low income populations from accessing jobs, services, and other vital opportunities. Transportation equity, by definition, states that transportation is a right of all citizens, and not just a privilege of the wealthy (CivilRights.org). Although the MTA claims that the most recent fare increase is “modest,” many New Yorkers are concerned about the burden this fare increase will put on low-income riders.
Unfortunately, the MTA is in a difficult conundrum. As the population of New York City continues to grow and subway ridership increases, providing affordable and reliable service is becoming increasingly challenging. Over 4.3 million people ride the subway every day, and the strain on the system is causing an infrastructure crisis. Subway breakdowns and delays are rampant, stations are crumbling, and train-cars and stations need to be retrofitted to become more resilient. The MTA has a fundamental responsibility to keep our city moving safely and efficiently, but how can the agency do so if it doesn’t have the money to fix its most pressing infrastructure problems?
There is no question that the MTA’s capital projects are a valuable long-term investment in an equitable city. If New Yorkers want to see a comprehensive subway system that gives citizens of all neighborhoods access to quality public transit, the city needs to pour money into new infrastructure. If New Yorkers want to see more ADA accessible stations, the city needs to pour money into the redesign of many subway stations. If New Yorkers want the subway to be an efficient means of public transit for the masses, the city needs to address crucial system capacity issues.
Equitable transportation systems cost money. If the city wants to provide quality and affordable transit services, someone will have to foot the bill. The key question is: how can the city fund transportation in an equitable way? Of course, it is easy to point fingers at the federal, state, and city government. Governor Cuomo has only pledged $750 million dollars to the MTA, far less than what the agency needs to fulfill its 5-year capital plan (Fitzsimmons, New York Times). The city has also been stingy when it comes to contributions; in recent years, it has only given .02 percent of its total city-funded expenses to the MTA. This is roughly only $100 million dollars a year (Rubinstein, Capital).
Perhaps, however, some of the responsibility lies with New York City residents themselves. A fare increase can be a reasonable proposal—the key is that the financial burden must be shared equitably among riders. Cities such as San Francisco and Madison have explored the option of subsidized transit fares for low-income-riders. This is one viable option that has not yet been considered yet in New York, and transportation equity advocates are pressuring authorities to start the conversation. It’s an important conversation to have for anyone who sees transportation as a right, not a privilege. Capital programs that promise to make transportation systems more equitable and accessible will only succeed if the road to getting there is as equitable as the outcome.
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