Decrease and increase. Decrease the service you provide...increase the fee you charge for that service. It's pretty much the only way people know how to manage a failing budget these days. Hey, that doesn't seem so difficult? Maybe I'm cut out for management after all...

Desperate times call for drastic measures. Facing a 1.2 billion-dollar deficit, this week the MTA is expected to propose a fare hike larger than the 8 percent originally discussed.

In addition, the MTA may eliminate the W and Z lines completely, and cut service on the G and M lines in half. Dozens of bus routes with low ridership would be eliminated during late nights and weekends as well. 1,500 stations agent and administrative jobs could also be on the chopping block.

Does this plan sound reasonable and fair to you? How will a fare hike larger than 8 percent affect you? If you ride the W, Z, G or M lines, what will your alternate commuting plans be?

Send us your thoughts using the link above.

I think that eliminating entire bus and or subway lines is unthinkable. There are no reasonable alternatives to mass transit.

Sue
Chelsea

stop with the cut backs. for your information the G line is already cut back it hardly runs at night past court sq. and forget about weekend service between court square and continental ave forest hills, the say it is "construction" but that's been going on for more than 1 yr!!. on the weekends the wait for an R train along the queens blvd corridor can be more than 30 minutes. they should eliminate jobs by not filling those that retire or leave and that includes managers and don't forget about those bus dispatchers that stand at the end of bus lines making remarks about the woman and smoking cigarettes. lets see some efficiency. if the agency was privatized you would see some real changes. any private business would be out of business if they ran an operation like they do. give it to Donald Trump to run!!

belinda, queens NY

Hi John,

The "Top 40" law firm (NYC) for which I work announced today that support staff will not be receiving raises next year, due to the state of the economy.

When even the most stable of companies conclude that it's prudent not to give raises, just where does MTA think we're all going to get all this "extra" 8% to hand over to them? How about the Rent Guidelines Board raises just voted in? How about the milk that went from $.89 to $1.09 to now, $1.49? I'm thinking of cutting my monthly Metrocard subscription. Time to start walking.

Thanks, as always (you're terrific!! Love The Call!!)

Liz

Why do prices always go up?...and why is there always inflation, deficits ... ? Why is it that when big companies have hard times - it's always the rest of us that have to suffer, not the CEOs or Mayors?

Hmmm, Just wondering ... A Jack Handey moment on "The Call"...

katherine - astoria

I think the real problem is even before the crash people weren't and are still not being paid a fair salary if we made more money; paying more wouldn't be a problem. It's still the cheapest ride in the world, come on 2 bucks and you can go from the Bronx all the way to the beach Rockaway or Coney. They are dirty, they run awful, and they are crowded. Just wait until they raise the price and cut service. Didnt they do that a few years ago? Then the MTA turned the clerks into information booths not ones you can actually get a metro card at, funny you can buy metrocards where I buy cigarettes. But not at a booth if it maroon.

It will affect me because my salary has been glass roofed for the past 13 years. I haven't been offered more or been given more money per hour. I have to work more to make more, so any in rease affects me. I left a great apartment in Brooklyn 5 years ago because the G train was horrible then I couldn't imagine what it is like now

Jim
Washington Heights

John,

Listening to the MTA is listening to the ravings of a maniac. Get rid of all of the management whackos at the MTA. Then do what I've said before, sell all of the operations to the highest bidder. Get government out of business.

We face the problem of leviathan, unregulated government. Government, not business needs to be regulated.

Here's a revenue suggestion: every time Mayor Bloomberg opens his mouth touting some new harebrained, cockamamie tax, fee or fine, make him cough up a million dollars for the general fund. In a week or so, the budget will be balanced.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

THERE WILL BE BATTLE CRIES FOR THE MTA TO GO PRIVATE, OR BECOME A MAYORAL AGENCY. HERE IS A LITTLE LESSON. PRIVATE LINES COULD NOT RUN THE BUSES, OR TRAINS. RECENTLY, THE MTA TOOK OVER PRIVATE LINES BECAUSE THE PRIVATES WERE TANKING. ACCESS A RIDE PASSENGERS ARE SUBSIDIZED TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $11.00 PER BOARDING. REGULAR TRANSIT RIDERS ARE SUBSIDIZED $1.87 PER BOARDING. DISABLED AND THE ELDERLY ARE SUBSIDIZED $2.87 PER BOARDING. IF YOU DID NOT HAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT, YOU AND I WOULD BE PAYING $5.00 PER LOCAL RIDE. SO, PUT YOUR THINKING CAPS ON, STOP BASHING THE UNION, STOP BASHING THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. COME UP WITH SOME CEREBRAL QUESTIONS, SUCH AS..WHY DOES THE MTA NEED 200 VICE PRESIDENTS? THEY ALSO HAVE ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENTS AND SO ON. ASK WHY THE STATE TRANSPORTATION LAW 18 B CONCERNING $390 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR FOR FUNDING CALCULATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED. THAT IS A WHOPPING LOSS OF $390 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR SINCE THE YEAR 2000. ASK COMPTROLLER THOMPSON.

JOE
BAY TERRACE

Big fan of the show.

Why, with proposed fare increases and service cuts, is the MTA continuing to build the Second Avenue subway? If the budget deficits are such that current service cannot be maintained, why go and spend millions if not billions on a brand new line?? How are we going to afford to operate the Second Ave subway? Why doesn't the MTA put that incredibly costly project on hold and use that money to remedy the situation that we are only in because of complete mismanagement and lack of efficient oversight??

The stupidity of the people in charge continues to allude me.

Matt
Park Slope

Nothing that the MTA propose sound ever reasonable, to me the MTA is an arrogant corrupt despicable entity that should be under the city's control. 0.25 cent increase would not bother me financially providing that they would open their finances to an totaly independent appointed review board. All this with resignation of all their head hunchos including Sanders.

Joseph from Sunnyside

Every time the MTA reveals its terrible financial practices, it reminds me of the time years ago when they were keeping two sets of books. One indicated a deficit, while the other showed millions of dollars in surplus. Furthermore, I very much doubt that any of the wealthy people who make these decisions (affecting millions of working New Yorkers) ever have to use public transportation. What adds insult to injury is that every time services are affected, it cripples the so-called "Outer Boroughs," which already have many neighborhoods that are not well-served by public transportation. I bought a car a year ago, because although I live approximately five minutes' drive from my job, there was no direct way to get there by public transportation. I am lucky enough to live near the Ditmars Blvd. train station, so that I can take the N or W for non-work needs. However, this station also serves thousands of other people who live within approximately a one square mile area.

I never cease to be amazed at the astonishingly poor administration of the MTA.

Sincerely,
"Liz"
Astoria, NY

This is a scandal! Why is there no control over this MTA that squanders money and provides minimal service, especially when compared to foreign cities. Shame on you!

Barbara

We need you to ask 'what do you think an alternative solution could be, besides a rate hike & how we would implement that solution?' instead of what do you think... I think that only encourages people to complain.

Erika

Hi I'm Christopher in Manhattan. Again! the MTA has new york by the short and curly. If there is a fare hike the MTA should not even be thinking about cutting services.

Why not cut service to Wall Street? Nobody will be working there anymore in a few months anyway.

Eric
Manhattan

DEAR THE CALL,

MY COMMENT IS THIS. RATHER THEN BICKERING OVER WHETHER WE CAN DEAL WITH RATE HIKES AND ROUTE CLOSINGS, NEW YORKERS SHOULD BE ASKING THEMSELVES: HOW HAS A FINANCIAL SECTOR MELTDOWN, SPAWNED BY BAD MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES-CAUSED THE MTA TO SUFFER THIS HUGE DEFICIT? WAS THE MTA INVESTING IN MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES? IT'S NOT AS THOUGH THE RIDERSHIP IS GOING DOWN-THEREDEAR THE CALL,

MY COMMENT IS THIS. RATHER THEN BICKERING OVER WHETHER WE CAN DEAL WITH RATE HIKES AND ROUTE CLOSINGS, NEW YORKERS SHOULD BE ASKING THEMSELVES: HOW HAS A FINANCIAL SECTOR MELTDOWN, SPAWNED BY BAD MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES-CAUSED THE MTA TO SUFFER THIS HUGE DEFICIT? WAS THE MTA INVESTING IN MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES? IT'S NOT AS THOUGH THE RIDERSHIP IS GOING DOWN-THERE ARE JUST AS MANY PEOPLE TAKING THE TRAIN AS THERE ALWAYS WERE. WHAT ARE THE COSTS THAT COULD POSSIBLY NECESSITATE THIS? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MTA IS HOPPING ON THE 'BAIL-ME-OUT-' TRAIN...

ANDREW C IN CARROLL GARDENS

I really feel that compared to other ways of transportation the mta provides very affordable means of transportation. When fares were increased to $2 the mta offered a bonus to the amount of the metro card. the overall affect were minimal.

Also without a fare hike jobs will probably be lost. I would much rather bail out hard working taxpayers than wealthy bank ceo's

Thanks
Danny from forest hills.

I think the MTA's deficit is a scam. As a bus operator, I can tell you that every three years, when the MTA needs to negotiate a contract with the union, they claim poverty. After forcing a bad contract on us , next year they'll say the have a surplus.

Rich G. Brooklyn

How about a litttle management for a change? I recall only a few years ago the MTA had surplus money. The trend across the city, state and country seems to be spend until we are broke, then spend more until we are in heavy debt, and then figure out who should carry the burden. Will it ever change? When will this system break?

My solution: Cut out the fat. I trust there is a lot of waste in the system.

This is a microcosm of why America is on the road to being a second-class power.

Sal
Brooklyn, NY

I think they should leave the fare at 2$ millions of people ride the train if you do the math thats billions of dollers a day how much more money do the need instead of cuttin service the should hire more employes and keep the service up and buy some air freshners for the subways.....

thanks
scott ridgewood queens

My suggestion is to have the MTA rent more space to stores inside stations, like they have a new one in Time Square..

Nathan, Manhattan.

I think that cutting subway and bus service is not cool at all, it is very disrespectful to all of the New Yorkers and it will be very hard for us to travel. I had enough problems with certain trains and buses already. Some train routes like the A,B,C,D especially the C train and along with some others are already having all types of problems. I ride the B and C trains every single day and they both often times look like they been taking a long time to come. The C train also doesn't have enough cars and I feel like it don't run on some weekends for no reason. I don't mind a few local or express buses in the Bronx or in Manhattan being cut on weekends and nights but the M 7 bus in Manhattan and almost all local and express busses in Staten Island are already getting worse. I also think that they should do more track work on the weekends instead of Midday hours. Some employees are not even doing their job. They should not increase the fare again.

Tariq of Harlem

If fairs go up I would like to see the trains run more smoothly and also be cleaner then the fair hike will make sense.. I will like to see my money given to the MTA go to good cause..

Anthony c. from flushing queens

I'm outraged!! They're service has gotten consistently worse! If they lower the price, then maybe I'd expect less. But it's already expensive. The state should take their books and seriously look where they're money is going.

-sandra

MTA is saying they have a 1.2 billion dollar deficit, how can you raise the fare on people that are suffering throughout this holiday season. MTA has employees that makes money just to sit there and think of new ways to get money out of people. They hear the government is using 700 billion dollars for the wall street bail out, so now everyone wants some money. I believe alot of these special interest and corporations are hiding there assets to get this money. If I look at their books I will find that they could get rid of all those people that stands there behind the Chairman during news conferences that gets paid 100s of thousands of dollars for nothing. The people have to budget in this crisis and cut down, so should the MTA.

Jeffrey, Williamsburg formally Staten Island

Service cuts to the Lines is a terrible idea, at the same time NYC customers deserve better than this because we are paying higher fares for no reason. I personally feel that the MTA is ripping off the customers blind. Everybody on the board should be investigated for ripping off the consumers and if they are found guilty of raising fares and cutting services by having two books each members should placed on a $30,000 year job and live in poor areas and ride the buses so they see what it feel like to deal with full buses and trains and dealing with angry customers.

Jonathan

Any private business ran as poorly as the MTA would have gone under by now. They need to innovate and think of 21st century ways to make money.

Jayne
-Astoria

Cutting service is ridiculous. The issue is 2 fold:

1. free East River bridges-Subway riders are floating the bill for people driving into NYC and parking on the streets

2. One day Subway passes and fares more likely to be purchased by tourists should cost a minimum of $15's.

The hard-working people who live and work in this city and depend on the MTA service should not be punished at the cost of maintaining the east river bridges and subsidizing tourist adventures. Additionally, there needs to be more oversight as to what the people are working on MTA projects are doing on the clock.

Thanks,
Steven S

1.How do federal and state tax dollars for highways and another car-related expenses compare with those for public transportation?

2.What percentage of the cost of suburban transportation is subsidized by bus and subway fares?

3.Who purchases the bonds that help finance the infrastructure and transit authorities? What do the bonds pay out?

Face

I think its ridiculous that the mta wants to raise fares at a time like this especially when the service is horrible the trains are always crowded!!

Pam
rosedale, queens

I thought the triboro bridge and tunnel authority helps fund the mta
trains and busses....where is that money ?

L. howard queens ny

As a daily train rider, there are disgracefully filthy conditions, inaudible announcements, and near chaos whenever there is a problem on a line. But we have corporate welfare for sports teams in New York and not enough money for transit? Why don’t we start by cutting some of the higher ups at the MTA who clearly are overpaid and unable to provide humane conditions for its riders?

Evan
Forest Hills, NY

What would I do if the already rarely there R train ( @ 46th st Queens ) were to basically vanish? Take the already overburdened Bus at Astoria Bvld into Manhattan and catch The CCNY shuttle to school!

Calexi
Woodside Queens
Class of 2010 The City College of NewYork