MTA Plan to Raise Fares Angers Officials and Riders

NEW YORK, NY — A proposal by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to increase transit fares and tolls in 2009 drew sharp criticism from an array of powerful officials on Tuesday, as the mayor, City Council speaker and Assembly speaker said they would oppose it, and the governor pledged “to do everything I can to prevent it.”

The authority is also preparing to ask the city and state to contribute $300 million in additional aid to help close a projected budget shortfall of nearly $900 million. The authority says it would need to raise fares and tolls even with that additional aid; without it, the increase could be higher.

The increases, which will be part of a budget proposal presented to the authority’s board on Wednesday, seeks to increase revenue from fares and tolls by 8 percent. If approved, the higher fares and tolls would take effect next July; the authority last raised tolls and fares in March. This would be only the second time in the history of the subway that fares were raised in consecutive years; the last time was in 1980 and 1981. The proposal angered riders already frustrated by more frequent subway delays and breakdowns, interviews on Tuesday indicated, and riders’ sour mood seemed to be keenly felt by officials in City Hall and Albany.

“I don’t think it’s wise to impose a fare hike this soon on commuters right after we did the last hike,” Gov. David A. Paterson said during a news conference in Hudson, N.Y. “This just cannot become the new way that the M.T.A. solves problems: Every time there is an issue, pass along the increase. Let’s explore other options.”

The authority is governed by a 17-member board appointed by the governor, with recommendations from the mayor and county executives from the metropolitan region. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn separately said they would not support a fare increase unless the authority demonstrated that it could shave its own budget and find alternative sources of funds.

“Anybody that tells me they’ve got a $10 billion budget and can’t find ways to cut 5 percent, that’s just poor management,” Mr. Bloomberg said at a City Hall news conference.

Ms. Quinn said, “Before the M.T.A. comes asking for more from the city, the state or the public, they need to do a little more housekeeping, which means cutting their overhead, cutting their management budget and cutting their administrative budget.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said in a statement that he was “strongly opposed” to the proposal and would ask the state comptroller’s office to audit the authority’s books to see if it is necessary.

“New Yorkers are facing higher prices for food, electricity and many other necessities, and transit fares just went up a few months ago,” Mr. Silver said. “We simply cannot afford another increase.”

A spokesman for the authority, Jeremy Soffin, declined to comment, saying authority officials wanted to reserve comment until they presented their proposal on Wednesday.

The authority faces fiscal problems brought on by sharply higher fuel costs, declining real estate tax revenues and rising debt costs. In the last half year, its projected budget shortfall has increased fourfold.

Despite elected officials’ pledges to oppose the increases, it is far from clear how the authority can balance its budget. Governor Paterson has appointed a commission, led by Richard Ravitch, a former chairman of the authority’s board, to study the agency’s finances, but the commission’s report is not expected until November.

Mr. Ravitch said on Tuesday that he was not surprised by the authority’s proposal, but that it was too soon to evaluate it. Mr. Ravitch was chairman the last time the agency imposed back-to-back subway increases — to 60 cents from 50 in 1980 and to 75 cents in 1981.

He said the authority’s current difficulties were far from unique. “Ever since the subway system and every other public transportation system has existed, there is always the question, almost on an annual basis, how do you deal with the increasing costs,” he said.

Riders, meanwhile, who just saw their monthly passes go up to $81 from $76 in March, were not sympathetic to the agency’s financial straits.

“It’s frustrating, because the service isn’t very good,” Jennifer Rizzo, 29, as she settled into a crowded morning rush train at Grand Central Station on Tuesday. “I wouldn’t have a problem paying more if the trains were actually reliable and moved.”

She was riding the No. 4 line: the Lexington Avenue express, which has the worst on-time performance in the system, according to a report released this week. Even some commuters on the city’s more on-time lines said they wanted to see more for their dollar.

“It seems like they’re hiking it every year and nothing is changing,” said Ramona Williams, 24, as she waited for the J train at the Marcy Avenue station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “I think we deserve better service at this point.”

The latest figures released by New York City Transit, which operates the subways, show that delays were up 24 percent as of May over the previous year. On-time performance was down 1.64 percent over all, and as much as 5.5 percent on some lines. The number of breakdowns are increasing, even as older cars are being replaced by newer models.

Authority officials say they are trying to improve service. They are experimenting with computer-controlled trains that would allow them to schedule trains closer together. They are conducting detailed studies on the 7, 4, 2 and L lines to determine the causes of delays. They are even exploring skip-stop service as a way to get trains moving closer to schedule.

The authority faces strong resistance from city officials to increase financing, as the city has its own difficult budget times.

Mayor Bloomberg was emphatic in saying Tuesday that the city would not give more. “We don’t have it,” he said.

Reporting was contributed by Jason Grant, Daryl Khan, Jeremy W. Peters and Fernanda Santos.