On Tuesday, the Chairman of the MTA, Joe Lhota, told the public about addressing the issues with metro, which all have long been waiting for. It describes strategies aimed at improving the functioning of the metro, for example, the introduction of «stand-up» cars. If this remains unanswered one very important question: who is going to pay for all this?
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lhota called on mayor bill de Blasio to share the implementation plan with a cost of $ 800 million in half, but the mayor, this idea is not for everyone. At the Council meeting on Wednesday, MTA chief financial officer Robert Foran suggested another option, which, in turn, do not like to have the people of new York. According to the New York Times, Foran said that the MTA plans to increase fares in 2019 and 2021 to Finance costly repairs.
The idea was negatively received by the rest of the Board, including Lhota, but without adequate funding, the authorities may have no choice.
The last tariff increase, the MTA entered into force in March, while the cost of a 30-day travel tickets increased from $116.50 to $121, and seven-day tickets went from $31 to $32. The fare remained at $2,75.
The MTA Board is considering raising fares every two years. Foran urged to ensure that the cost of travel increased 4 percent in the coming two times. This issue will be discussed by Council members.
Cuomo and de Blasio are currently trying to figure out who needs to pay extra MTA plan, which ultimately can cool to hit the pockets of passengers. On Thursday, Cuomo confirmed that the state agrees to Fund 50 percent of the cost of the plan and urged de Blasio to pay for the other half of the city budget.
