Free Subway Rides in NYC?
A group of mass transit advocates is lobbying to allow passengers to ride the subway for free — and if their plan works out, we may need to start dreaming up new uses our Metrocards. To compensate for the subway riders free fare, those who drive a car in the city would be forced to…
A group of mass transit advocates is lobbying to allow passengers to ride the subway for free — and if their plan works out, we may need to start dreaming up new uses our Metrocards. To compensate for the subway riders free fare, those who drive a car in the city would be forced to pay a congestion tax. According to the NY Post:
“Environmentalist Theodore Kheel has funded a $100,000 study conducted by mass-transportation advocate George Haikalis of the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility to prove the plan could work. Congestion pricing forces drivers to pay a toll for driving in certain heavily traveled areas and at certain times. ‘Portland and Seattle offer free transit on bus and light-rail lines within their central business districts,’ Haikalis said.”
But with the MTA’s predicted billion-dollar deficit, could this really work? And would people be in favor of free subway fare, if it meant they’d have to pay a toll to drive in the city?
Bid for Free Subways [NY Post]
Photo by dM.nyc
I’m all for congestion pricing…and I drive to work daily. I just realize after fighting for spaces at overpriced parking lots for way too long that we are just a bunch of consumers, so we should pay for it. Many of the drivers at the lots drive in solo from within the 5 boroughs (incl. myself)..and pay the exorbitant prices, just for the pure convenience & snob appeal of it. My ass needs to be encouraged to get on the train and start getting to work on time. What’s probably going to surprise everyone is how many people agree to pay the congestion pricing just to continue the lifestyle. We’re pigs, and we should pay for that.
There are a lot of questions and issues with free subways. However, I am a HUGE fan of congestion tax. It’s working well in London, why not here? I’m not sure why this is a one-or-the-other issue. Surely, if you can afford a car (insurance, maintence, etc) you can afford a $2 subway ride.
that would just be scary. it’s bad with the homeless people sleeping in the stations.
Many transit systems forgo fares simply because the expense of collecting them is so high. I wonder how much the MTA pays maintaining the MetroCard system. The savings from not running it combined with traffic congestion revenues might just be enough.
IMO, this is more important for buses than trains, especially with the plan for the rapid transit bus trials coming up. Buses move along a lot faster when you don’t have to wait for boarders fumbling to pay the fare. Also, with congestion pricing, buses might move more quickly through the city making them an even more attractive option. Win-win.