Park Slope Commuters Feel the Squeeze During MTA Fare Hike

After the first full-day of the MTA’s third fare hike in three years, Park Slope commuters felt the pinch while waiting for the train at Seventh Avenue subway station on Ninth Street Monday.

Having gone into effect early Sunday, straphangers saw a multitude of price increases, including a single bus or subway ride go up 25 cents to $2.50 and monthly MetroCards increase from $104 to $112.

I can’t help but feel it, I’m already struggling now,” said Denise Reed, who was checking to see how much money she had left on her MetroCard—hoping to have at least $2.50 for a ride. “I remember when it cost 75 cents. It just keeps going up and I can’t catch a break.”

But the seemingly ever-rising costs of getting from point A to point B underground is for good reason: The MTA, which had been struggling to close its budget deficit before suffering $5 billion in damages from Hurricane Sandy, is expected to make an additional $450 million a year from the fare hike.

“Although it’s just 25 cents, fare hikes are hard on New Yorkers,” said Carlos Moreno while buying a new card at the Seventh Avenue station. “The price for the subway goes up, while service seems to go down.”

With the third fare hike in as many years, New Yorkers think increases will be felt even more in the future.

“It seems like the hikes are ongoing, and I’m not happy. I haven’t felt the effect yet, but it’ll add up,” Omar Rodriguez said while he was waiting for his train.

And to add insult to injury, Rodriguez, who rides the F train everyday, noted that during the first days of the fare hike the f train will have service disruptions late night.  All Coney Island-bound F trains will run via the A from West 4th Street to Jay St.-MetroTech.

“The F won’t be running tonight, so I’ll be inconvenienced along with paying more,” Rodriguez stated as he walked onto the train. 

But for driver’s, the subway increase seems a bit lighter. The MTA also hiked tolls on most of the city’s bridges and tunnels, which have gone up from $4.80 to $5.33 for E-Z Pass customers and from $6.50 to $7.50 for those paying in cash.

“It’s still a good deal, I’m mostly happy about our subway system. I have a car and I know what it’s like to drive in the city,” said John Seitz. “The subway is much easier and is still inexpensive.”

But for those New Yorkers without the choice of car or train, the die-hard straphangers see the fare hike as a financial obstacle.

“As a broke student, this increase will add up,” said Nicole Torres who is a law student at CUNY and just bought a monthly pass on Saturday before the hike. “This is obviously targeting the working class.”

What do you think about the MTA fare hike? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments section below!