New York State’s MTA Money Grabs
On behalf of my residents, I sent another letter recently to the MTA imploring the agency to not proceed with the fare increases that Metro-North has proposed for Rockland’s West of Hudson commuters, which are simply outrageous. Metro-North is proposing 4%+ increases for this County – with some proposed fares increasing nearly 7% – while all three East of Hudson lines will see minimal increases, or even none at all for some fare types.
The average proposed fare increases for Pascack Valley line commuters who travel from Spring Valley, Nanuet or Pearl River to Penn Station is 4.75%, including a 4.56% increase in the monthly fare and a 6.7% increase in the weekly fare.
Meanwhile, across the river, the average proposed fare increases for Hudson Line commuters who travel from Tarrytown to Grand Central is just 2.63%, for Harlem Line commuters from White Plains the average increase is just 3.16% and for New Haven line commuters from Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Harrison, the average increase is just 2.96%.
Worse yet, Metro-North based its monthly fare increase proposals for the East of Hudson service on temporary promotional fares, which are significantly reduced from the normal fares. These promotional fares have been in place for East of Hudson since February 2022 to provide incentive for riders to return, while West of Hudson riders had no fare reduction, temporary or otherwise, during that time. As a result, the proposed fare increases for the East of Hudson monthly fare type will actually amount to 6 to 7% fare reductions from the normal fare! Meanwhile, Rockland County‘s monthly commuters are being asked to pay 5% more on the Pascack Valley line and 4% more on the Port Jervis line for this same fare type.
Rockland County commuters traveling to Penn Station should not pay one cent more than Hudson Line commuters traveling to Grand Central.. If these fare increase proposals move forward, the difference between the monthly fare from Tarrytown to GCT versus Nanuet to Penn Station will rise to more than $21, with our commuters paying $321 per month. That is simply unacceptable.
Rockland County residents also face the highest level of transit inequity in the MTA region including a transit desert that forces more than 60% of our residents to drive into the city because they have no other way to get there.
With MTA’s Congestion Pricing program, Governor Kathy Hochul is now forcing those residents – which include cops, firefighters, and others – to pay more simply for using their own vehicle to avoid being stranded by the current inadequate system.
During the official announcement that the Congestion Pricing program was moving forward, Governor Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber made one thing clear — that Rockland County commuters continue to be an afterthought in the congestion pricing conversation with much emphasis placed on improving life in New York City and little regard for the tax-paying members of the MTA outside the city.
Either way you split it; our residents lose. These increases are an insult to families who are already struggling to keep up with high gas prices and record-breaking inflation.
Rockland County residents should be exempt from Metro-North’s proposed West of Hudson fare increases and from congestion pricing tolls based on our $40 million annual value gap with the MTA, which no other member of the MTA has. If we are not exempt from congestion pricing, we should at minimum be credited for the river crossing tolls we already pay to enter Manhattan, including the tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and the Tappan Zee Bridge, with a discounted rate for entering the congestion pricing zone.
Residents can voice opposition to congestion pricing charges by calling 646-252-7440 or by mail:
CBD Tolling Program
2 Broadway, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10004
You can also submit comments online at https://contact.mta.info/s/
Residents can also continue to submit comments about MTA Fare Increases. Comments may be submitted online, by phone to (646) 252-6777 or by mail to:
MTA Government & Community Relations
Attn: Fare Hearings
2 Broadway, 17th Floor,
New York, NY 10004
