A caller from Astoria suggested the MTA raise fares based on the distance, or number of zones, a rider is traveling. This idea has been raised before. It makes sense in many places, but here in New York City, it actually works against the concept of helping working New Yorkers afford transportation. The fact of the matter is, New Yorkers who live in the so-called "outerboroughs" often commute into Manhattan for work, making them the riders who travel the furthest. At the same time, they tend to be the riders who are struggling to pay the fare now. So, what's the other option? Charge those in Manhattan more to get around town? That doesn't seem like a good option either.

The best option, in my opinion, is to charge tourists more. Or as our e-mailer Sebastien mentioned below: "Why not have zonal pricing for single fare rides but keep the one size pricing for the unlimited rides so regular commuters wouldn't suffer from higher fares in the outerboroughs but occasional users would pay more for longer fares." Not a bad idea Sebastien.

After being postponed because of Hurricane Sandy, the final public hearing on the MTA's proposed fare and toll hikes is taking place tonight on Staten Island. The increases, which could raise a monthly unlimited MetroCard to $125, are expected to take place in March.

The final hearing comes as the MTA estimates the cost of storm damage at more than $5 billion. Officials insist riders won't be picking up the substantial tab, because federal aid and insurance money will cover most of it. The MTA says it will cut internal costs to make up the rest. What do you say?

Which of the MTA's fare and toll hike proposals do you support? Should the cost of unlimited or pay-per-ride MetroCards go up? Do you trust the MTA when it says the bill from Sandy won't be passed along to New Yorkers?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

Are you serious trust the MTA! You have to be kidding. The agency that has 2 sets of books and cannot manage money they look to the riders to finance everything else why not sandy. Down the line they will learn insurance and federal aid will not cover anything and and say sorry we need more money from the riders to pay for it. they will think the public will not remember or care about it. the unlimited card should stay the same. It went up last fare hike

Belinda forest hills

the fares should not increase, period. there've been too many increases over the last few years with reduced service. the MTA needs to reduce the amount of vice presidents and assistant vice presidents and other managers making 6 figure salaries in. it's an inverted pyramid over there, top heavy with administrators and managers, someone needs to step in and reduce the payroll. the riders shouldn't pay for the MTA's bad management.

meryl from manhattan

What happens to all the tax money they collect for the up keep of all our structures?
In my opinion they don't even have the smarts to even pave the pot holes.

These politicians and their cronies just hold jobs whatever they might be and know absolutely nothing about anything. To me everything is so over their head and they just make it a lifetime career of it. Also Cuomo and Bloomberg were forewarned about what could happen if an event such as this storm ever occurs and they chose to ignore it just as they do with everything else. Only now it's not just a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is the real deal. Where are all of these hot shots? They have all become phantoms and meanwhile many people are still in dire need of help.

It's the same story over and over again and again and we need to hold their feet to the fire.

maxxiee
mp

The MTA should stop playing games and once and for reveal what it costs to operate. Then announce a fare that will not must pay those costs, but a fare that will create a reasonable profit.

But what really needs to be done is to sell every line to the highest bidder and operate all NYC transit as a private enterprise.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Riders, commuters, and motorists using MTA subways, buses, commuter rail lines, bridges and tunnels will be forced to bear some of the costs associated with hurricane Sandy, because the MTA had to issue bonds to help pay for equipment and materials used in the rebuilding, and the interest payments on those bonds is paid directly from farebox and toll revenues. How much more costs riders and drivers will have to bear depends largely on "fiscal cliff" horse trading now taking place in Washington D.C.

PETE FROM MANHATTAN

Stop the MTA's irresponsible borrowing. Straphangers are already paying a huge amount for previous irresponsible borrowing.

Kill the East Side Access Capital Project. $7 Billion before cost overruns just to get a few LIRR riders across town. What a waste of money! Where is the MTA's Reserve Fund?

Bobby
East Village

I believe it will be passed along to riders or drivers. You think an agency so big would have some plan and money set a side for devastations like sandy.

Robert
Staten Island

oh please MTA !! cry me a river, you have plenty of money to fix the subways without raising the fares or making any cuts

Carmen, Bay Ridge

Are we supposed to grateful that the MTA won’t pass on the expenses of the hurricane to the public? Is this supposed to put them in a new warm and favorable light? Are they trying to improve their image? Gives us all a break.

Ben in Brooklyn

Chairman Lhota has been doing his best to rework the MTA whose corporate infrastructure needs as much of an overhaul as the entire city of NY. Yet trying to push across a fare hike after the biggest natural disaster to hit this region of the country in recent memory, is the beginning of an ever increasing uphill battle. And that hill will grow steeper as the inevitable future fair hikes will come to the table and the MTA will have to find more excuses to keep drawing in money. I think it's time that the Governor to scrutinize the MTA the way he has the power companies, and place an independent oversight committee to keep tabs on their books. They need to be kept in check.

Serafin

The should not raise metrocard because of the FACT they made over 30 million profit off Sandy and the unlimited cards they did not refund !

Anonymous

Should the MTA raise the fare on the heels of Hurricane Sandy? Absolutely NOT!!

They give bad enough service as it is already. What they should be doing is restore the bus lines that they discontinued and extend some a little further.

Not many commuters/customers have the luxury of owning a car and doing their own driving.

Most of us depend on mass transit and during strikes, they don't put in place contingency plans to get people from one borough to another, for example from Brooklyn into Queens, for instance.

Always to Manhattan, as if people are heading to Manhattan at all times!
No, the fare should NOT be increased!

Cecilia
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

The mta has unrestricted power. How about cutting the mta executives' multi million dollar salary? I use to save money with the unlimited metrocard. With the fare hike, i am not so sure now.

Sean

Trim some of the salaries at the MTA, if they get 5 billion this year, what if we have another weather disaster going forward the following year- will they demand more billions going forward for every storm we incur, Governor Cuomo stated there may be more difficult storms coming in the future!

Michael

i tried to think of the most simple solution ---1 million people send the the mta or the mayor 9.00 dollars------simple ---why cant we do this as a community---i will pay the first nine --my share -- advertise it with billboards and get a million people to send nine dollars ---this should be easy----

James
Staten Island

I don't think there should be a fare hike whatsoever. why should the MTA rise the fare when they haven't tackled the problem that already exist. The metro card dispenser from 110th st station and above either don't work or not available for use. People are occasionally stuck between stations for hours at a time. stations aren't clean and there are more examples. Asking people to find monies that they don't have is bologna.

Gary
Manhattan

The mta wants the people to do more with less, less garbage cans if you see something say something don't give to panhandlers don't walk between cars there are more rules under the ground than any place else in the city it is a hole in the ground don't forget that is it a horrible place pealing paint broke tiles dirty seats late trains broken machines it's has gone back to the late 80s no cops to many bums it is a mess down there last the busses are always late and then go out of service wright in front of you there is only one way for me to get out of rockaway park I cant take the ferry and if I did it stops to early and no weekend service The MTA had to think about it's rides no it's pockets. It's terrible out here please help I work over night this city still runs at night So should the Mta.

Jerome
Rockaway Park

As a twist on the previous caller's zonal pricing why not have zonal pricing for single fare rides but keep the one size pricing for the unlimited rides so regular commuters wouldn't suffer from higher fares in the outer Burroughs but occasional users would pay more for longer fares.

Sebastien

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, AFTER WORKING IN THE SUBWAY FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, IS THAT THINGS COULD ALWAYS BE BETTER, NO SERVICE TO THE ROCKAWAYS UNTIL MID-2013, AND YOU STILL WANT TO RAISE THE FARES? TO ME THAT`S ABSOLUTELY INSANE, A CLASSIC CASE OF TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NO INDIANS!!! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BOARD MEMBERS, WHEN IN REALITY, THE SYSTEM PRETTY MUCH RUNS ITSELF, ALWAYS HAS, AND IF LEFT ALONE, ALWAYS WILL. SOME SUBWAY LINES HAVE AS MANY AS 3 MANAGERS, WHEN THERE WAS A TIME WHEN ONE PERSON RAN AS MANY AS 3 LINES, HE CAME UP THROUGH THE RANKS, KNEW THE SYSTEM INSIDE AND OUT, AND COULD ANSWER ANY QUESTION AN EMPLOYEE OR PASSENGER MIGHT HAVE ABOUT SERVICE CHANGES OCCURRING IN HIS AREA AT ANY GIVEN TIME. ASK ANY BOARD MEMBER IF HE OR SHE HAS EVER DROVE A BUS OR WALKED THE TRACKS,OPERATED A TRAIN, COLLECTED A FARE, OR CLEANED A STATION PLATFORM AT 3am, THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP THIS CITY MOVING, THE MTA FOR YEARS HAS BEEN TRYING TO RUN THE SYSTEM AS IF IT WERE A BUSINESS, WHEN IN REALITY, IT`S A SERVICE PLAIN AND SIMPLE, LOOK AT THE NAME OF THE SERVICE…M.T.A. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY… THAT WORD AUTHORITY MEANS ALOT AND IT`S NOT APPLIED TO ANY OTHER SERVICE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, NO POLICE AUTHORITY, NO SANITATION AUTHORITY, NO FIRE AUTHORITY, JUST TRANSIT AUTHORITY, WHICH BASICALLY MEANS, THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WHENEVER THEY WANT, LET`S FACE IT SHORT OF OWNING A CAR OR BICYCLE, THEY`RE THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN…AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO CHARGE WHAT THEY WANT, AND CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU THE SERVICE THEY WANT.

R, FROM QUEENS

the mta is going to get money from the goverment, doesnt that sound like a bail out? where do you think the rebuilding contracts will come from????

Leon
Kingshighway brooklyn