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February 4 , 2009

Testimony for the MTA Hearing

on Proposed Fare Hike and Service Cuts

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said, "It is clear that the MTA is in dire need of additional funding but attempting to close the gap by raising the fares for working-class commuters and especially for some of our most vulnerable populations, the disabled and the elderly, is not the way to go. Fortunately, the Ravitch Commission’s recommendations for tolling on the East and Harlem River Bridges and a business payroll tax could help us avoid service cuts and fare increases for both regular and Access-A-Ride services.

New Yorkers who rely upon Access-A-Ride services would be disproportionately affected by fare increases. Asking the New Yorkers who have the least access to the public transit system to pay more is simply unfair.

As Borough President Stringer has pointed out, doubling the Access-A-Ride fare would only result in a minor increase in MTA revenue but would leave many disabled New Yorkers without a vital link to the outside world. And, as he said, we cannot allow leaving home to become an unaffordable luxury.

Let me be clear: I support tolling on the bridges and the payroll specifically as a means of preventing services cuts and fare increases. A proposal to raise fares yet again is a tough pill to swallow under the best of circumstances. But this year especially, we need to do everything we can to spare the most vulnerable New Yorkers—those with low incomes, the elderly, the disabled—any additional financial burden.

Business owners who rely on a steady stream of customers, employers who need employees to be on time everyday, car commuters who would not like to see traffic congestion worsen—they all benefit from the continued existence of a safe, reliable, and affordable mass transportation network. And they should all share the burden of supporting public transportation.

It is clear that the MTA needs more funding than what can reasonably be collected at the farebox or the turnstile. The time has come for alternative solutions to be considered. That is why I supported congestion pricing and that is why I now support the Ravitch Commission’s recommendation for more equitably distributing the cost of our transit system through tolling on East and Harlem River bridges and a payroll tax."