MTA backs off on ticket refund penalty, not fare hike
The MTA is going forward with its proposal to hike Long Island Rail Road fares by as much as 9.4 percent, but is backing off a bit from a plan to charge a steep penalty for ticket refunds and significantly shorten the time span for which some tickets are valid, transit sources said Monday.
The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to vote Thursday on the newly proposed fares, which would take effect in January.
The hike - part of a plan passed by the State Legislature in May 2009 to aid the struggling MTA - seeks to increase fare revenue throughout the transit authority by 7.5 percent.
On the LIRR, fares would go up between 7.6 and 9.4 percent, depending on the time and distance of a trip, officials said.
However, the MTA has reconsidered three specific changes to LIRR fares. In July, the agency said it planned to institute a $15 processing fee for all ticket refunds. That amount has been reduced to $10, transit sources said.
The MTA also originally proposed reducing the life-span of a 10-trip ticket from one year to three months. It has instead settled on six months as the time frame for which the ticket can be used from the date of its purchase.
Similarly, one-way tickets will be good for two weeks, instead of the originally proposed one week, according to transit sources. Currently, they are good for six months.
MTA board member Mitchell Pally said he was glad to see the changes, which he recommended after fielding concerns from commuters at hearings.
"Those three things, I thought, were a little too onerous on the commuter," said Pally.
LIRR Commuter Council chairwoman Maureen Michaels said the tweaks to the fare-hike plan are little solace to commuters. She said strict time limits on tickets wouldn't be necessary if conductors did a better job of collecting them.
"These expirations are being put in as a stopgap to cover their own mistakes," said Michaels, who added that surcharges for ticket refunds are also unfair and punish customers whose travel plans may be changed because of LIRR service problems.
MTA officials have also made a decision on one of the most contentious issues surrounding its proposed fare hikes.
The agency was considering two options for its popular unlimited 30-day MetroCard, currently priced at $89: instituting a 90-ride cap and charging $99, or keeping it unlimited and charging $104.
The MTA has chosen the latter option, which will be put up for vote on Thursday, Pally said.
The MTA last increased fares, by around 10 percent, last year. Another 7.5 percent hike in scheduled for 2013.
MTA's proposed changes
- Ticket prices increase 7.6 percent to 9.4 percent depending on zone and time.
SOURCE: METROPOLITAN TRANSPORATION AUTHORITY
'Need to step up regulations and testing' "Car fluff" is being deposited at Brookhaven landfill at a fast clip, but with little discussion. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Paul LaRocco have the story.
'Need to step up regulations and testing' "Car fluff" is being deposited at Brookhaven landfill at a fast clip, but with little discussion. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Paul LaRocco have the story.
