MTA boss sees possible fare increases

Straphangers can expect their subway and bus fees to increase unless the state comes up with more money for the MTA.
That was part of MTA CEO and Executive Director Elliot Sander’s response to a question from a Queensborough Community College student after Sander addressed the class on Wednesday, October 15.
“Philosophically, I believe that we should increase the fares at the rate of inflation - not more, not less,” Sander said. “Unfortunately, if the Legislature and the Governor are not able to provide more funding, we will have no choice to either increase the fares or reduce service.”
Sander has been making the rounds addressing college classes throughout the city as the MTA expects more than a billion dollar deficit for its operating budget next year as well as the need for increased funds for their next five-year capital plan expected to begin in 2009.
Sander spoke about how the recent difficulties on Wall Street have decreased some of the agency’s expected revenues from real estate taxes, and as well as the significant amount of debt it needs to repay from money it borrowed earlier this decade when the city and state decreased its funding to the authority.
However, even with the difficult times ahead, Sander spoke about the MTA’s consistently high performance in mechanical reliability as well as on-time performance for the different transit systems. He also addressed the need for the federal government to increase its investment in the city’s transportation system allowing for infrastructure improvements so that the system does not fall behind other countries.
“Unless we change this, we’re not going to have the jobs in New York and the kind of prosperity that we have had,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sander also spoke about the importance the transit system plays for college students in Queens and mentioned how students at Queensborough Community College, St. John’s and other institutions throughout the city benefit from the mass transit services.
“We would not be the center of higher education were it not for this extraordinary transportation system,” Sander said.