Klein Takes Mta To Task

Furthermore, Senator Klein made comments noting that annual ridership has gone down by 6.8% as a result of the aforementioned restrictions on service (cost, accessibility, practicality, etc...), whereas demand remains the same. The measuring stick that the MTA uses to determine efficiency is based upon ridership. However this methodology is inadequate and does not reflect the real needs of the communities itserves.

Similarly, he emphasized that service must reflect MTA fare increases from $4 to $5. In addition, the transfer from express buses to the local bus/subway must work consistently. Too often Riders have to pay an additional $2 when the transfer is supposed to be included in the increased fare, bringing the total cost of the commute to $7.

Senator Klein ended by calling on the MTA to earmark money from its $938 million surplus to make the necessary changes.