MTA full speed ahead with plan to hike LIRR fares, tolls in March

The cost of a Long Island Rail Road ticket could increase by as much as $15 a month next March under the MTA’s latest proposed fare and toll hike — the seventh such increase in the last 10 years.

Proposed increases, which would average about 4 percent but would be considerably more for some public transportation customers and drivers, come as service on the LIRR and subways has dropped to historic lows, and as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says its fiscal outlook has worsened.

“We are going to try do what we can — try to keep fares reasonable, because that’s important. But at the end of the day, we need enough revenue to keep our system safe and reliable and in good repair. There’s no avoiding that,” said acting MTA chairman Fernando Ferrer, who specifically addressed the prospect of LIRR riders facing the highest dollar amount in fare increases, despite on-time performance being at its lowest in nearly two decades. “Fare increases go hand in hand with maintenance and service.”

Under the plan, the maximum increase on weekly and monthly LIRR tickets would be 3.85 percent, with dollar increases capped at $15 for monthly tickets and $5.75 on weekly tickets. Commuters already paying $500 or more for their monthly ticket would not see any increase. Just 27 LIRR riders pay that amount or more, MTA officials said.

The cost of one-way LIRR tickets would rise 4 percent under the plan, with no increases exceeding 50 cents per ticket. 

For LIRR commuter Allen Wone, the planned increase would bring his monthly ticket from Ronkonkoma to more than $406. When he started commuting by railroad in 2008, Wone said his ticket cost $277.

“That’s a ridiculous amount of increases in 11 years,” said Wone, 46, of Holtsville. “And their service has gotten worse . . . They don’t need more money. They need to stop wasting money.”

The MTA board on Thursday voted to approve the initial process of informing the public about the proposed increases, including by scheduling public hearings for next month. The board will vote in January on whether to approve the increases. 

MTA managing director Veronique Hakim emphasized the various proposals represent “the high end” of any potential rate hikes, and that the MTA board could choose to raise them by smaller amounts.

But Robert Foran, the MTA’s chief financial officer, said forgoing a fare increase was not a viable option, as the agency is forecasting a budget deficit that could reach $1 billion by 2020. Even with the proposed increases, the MTA said future service cuts on buses and subways could be necessary to close budget gaps. If the board doesn't approve an increase next year, “We’re just going to make the hole that much bigger,” Foran said.

MTA board member Mitchell Pally, who represents Suffolk County, said he didn’t like “any of the options” that had been presented to the board, and — along with other board members — urged the agency to push state lawmakers to step up transit funding. The state is yet to act on a congestion pricing proposal forwarded by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last year that could generate an extra $1 billion annually for the MTA.

Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), who has advocated for LIRR reform and is now in the Senate majority, agreed that “for too long, the legislature has starved the MTA” and its riders.

“Those days must be over, and the legislature needs to step up and provide the MTA the funding it deserves” Kaminsky said.

The MTA proposed various options for increases on buses, subways and for tolls on the agency’s bridges and tunnels. Options for increases on the MetroCard include keeping the existing “base fare” of $2.75 while eliminating “bonuses” toward future fare purchases, or raising the base fare to $3 while increasing the bonus. Monthly unlimited ride MetroCards could climb to $127, from the current $121.

While public transportation fare increases would be kept in the range of 4 percent, E-ZPass toll increases could rise by twice that amount under one of the MTA’s proposals to hike tolls at major crossings by about 50 cents — an 8 percent hike.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.