ALBANY, NY (TIP): On Tuesday, February 14, a broad alliance of elected representatives, community organizations, advocates, and MTA riders rallied at the Capitol in support of including funding for the “Fix the MTA” package in the state budget. Advocates, straphangers and elected representatives alike are calling on the one-house budgets to include funding to not only resolve the MTA’s fiscal crisis, but ensure improved service, without imposing fare hikes on working-class New Yorkers already stretched thin by the skyrocketing cost of living.
The “Formula Three” spending bill within the “Fix the MTA” package would fully fund the MTA and reject a fare hike to $3, fund greater frequency for 6-minute service, and make buses free. The package also includes programmatic measures: to increase the agency’s accountability through better reporting; establish prudent and accurate budget measures; and boost efficiency.
Governor Hochul’s executive budget does not provide the funding necessary to avoid a fare hike to $3, and provides no funding for the service that MTA riders deserve.
Over 50 advocates and MTA riders joined Assembly Member Zohran K. Mamdani, NYS Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris, Senator Jessica Ramos, Senator Andrew Gounardes, Senator John Liu, Senator Jabari Brisport, Senator Natalia Fernandez, Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman, Assembly Member Juan Ardila, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Assembly Member Amanda Septimo, Assembly Member Robert Carroll, Assembly Member Tony Simone, Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson, Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha, Betsy Plum, Executive Director, Riders Alliance, Alfred Lynch Jr., a member of Riders Alliance and Lisa Daglian, Executive Director, Permanent Citizens Advisory to the MTA.
“This is the budget where we move beyond the bare minimum when it comes to the MTA. Dozens of my colleagues and I see this year as the one where we freeze the fare, fund frequency, and make buses free. Whether we speak to them on subway platforms or at bus stops, our constituents are clear that now is the time to break the Albany cycle of disinvestment and disinterest, and instead take critical steps towards creating a transit system that is affordable, reliable, and universally accessible,” said Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani.
“The MTA is on an express track towards fiscal calamity and it is imperative we intervene to save and improve the nation’s most important transit system,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. “Freezing fares, improving service and providing free bus service would be game-changers that would set the tone for the rest of the country and put the MTA on solid footing for a better future.”
“Ridership on the 7 train, which runs the length of my district, remained relatively steady throughout the pandemic because of the essential workers who kept commuting and kept our city running. We should recognize their contributions with reliable service, not fare hikes. New Yorkers are already feeling the squeeze of rising prices. We can either muster the political will to fix the MTA, or we can take half measures at the expense of working families who rely on our public transit infrastructure,” said State Senator Jessica Ramos.
“Fixing the MTA is not just about repairing tracks and trains, it’s about restoring faith in the backbone of our city’s infrastructure and the millions of New Yorkers who rely on it every day. Access to reliable and affordable public transportation is not a luxury, it’s a necessity – and providing free bus service from suburban communities to the city is a crucial step towards ensuring equitable opportunities and a thriving local economy for all,” said Assembly Member Michaelle Solages.
“I’m proud to stand in support of the #FixtheMTA bill package. I am speaking up alongside other legislators, advocacy groups, and working people who rely on the MTA to demand real investments in our public services. Now, more than ever, we must revitalize our public transportation to build a future of sustainability and equality. In NY, the rich have abandoned our public transportation, but that doesn’t mean the burden of fare increases should rest on working-class communities like mine. We must increase the availability and affordability of the MTA and make our public services truly public,” said Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes.
“Governor Hochul owes millions of New York bus and subway riders a targeted investment in six minutes or better service all day, every day,” said Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum. “More frequent public transit service will attract more riders, improve safety, enhance equity and is essential to both mitigating and adapting to climate change. In a state with a multibillion dollar surplus and money available to support industries from horse racing to Hollywood filmmaking, there’s no question that New York can afford the public transit service we need and deserve. With transit virtually defining our competitive edge, more frequent service is a policy change we can’t afford not to make.”
“Transit is the backbone of our region—an essential service—and it deserves to be funded as such,” said Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). “An investment in better transit is an investment in a stronger city, state, and region. Riders need our state legislators and Governor to pass key aspects of the Fix the MTA package—including funding the MTA, increasing and improving MTA transparency, and give a greater voice to rider representatives on the MTA Board—which together will help build the transit system riders deserve. We can’t afford to face exorbitant fare hikes or service cuts—the millions of riders who depend on transit every day need our state leaders to fix the MTA. We thank Assemblymember Mamdani and the Assembly and Senate co-sponsors for proposing legislation that would transform our transit system and the lives of riders.”
“New York currently has a surplus of over 8 billion dollars. There’s no reason why we can’t adequately fund the MTA and meet the Chair’s $350 million ask to stave off another fare hike. I’m proud to have recently introduced a new bill as part of the “Fix the MTA” legislative package that would also help support the MTA’s overall fiscal health. The bill would allow certain tax revenue to go directly to the MTA without legislative appropriation. If enacted, the MTA would have more immediate access to much-needed funds, improve its credit, and prevent potential budget cuts in the future. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill this session and work together to help improve public transit without passing the buck to struggling New Yorkers,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “Mass transit is the lifeblood of New York, and our state budget should reflect the significant impact that it has on the wellbeing of all New Yorkers. The economic success of Bronxites and all working class New Yorkers is reliant on access to efficient, safe, and affordable buses and subways. Furthermore, beyond mere investments in mass transit, we must ensure that our transit authorities are spending this money with the best interest of riders in mind. Adding rider representation to the MTA Board would ensure that this valuable perspective is included in key decisions, and I’m proud to support the Fix the MTA package to enact systemic reform as well as paradigm-shifting investments in mass transit service for New Yorkers.”
“Transit is an irreplaceable public good that provides us access to our homes, our jobs, and the city around us. For the millions of working class New Yorkers who rely on our public transit, proposed fare hikes and long wait times are unacceptable,” said State Senator Julia Salazar. “I join my colleagues in urging the Governor to align the State’s investments with the needs of New Yorkers–and pass an executive budget that includes funding for the entire Fix the MTA package.”
State Senator John Liu said, “Hiking fares to cover for lagging ridership without addressing critical flaws like excessive wait times is counterintuitive for a mass transit system that is supposed to be accessible to all New Yorkers. This legislative package looks to make a fiscally sound, accountable and efficient system that will fully fund the MTA, create reliability, and make buses free for all, as has already been achieved in major metropolitan areas like Washington D.C. Many thanks to Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and our colleagues from both houses who recognize the urgency and necessity of this effort to improve transit and increase ridership.”
State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “New Yorkers shouldn’t settle for a transit system with unaffordable fares and unreliable service. This package would take a transformative approach to America’s largest transit system, treating the MTA like the public good that it is. Rejecting a fare hike, phasing in free buses, and implementing 6-minute service throughout the day would tangibly improve the lives of working-class New Yorkers. If the Governor is serious about her commitment to the MTA, she will make the investments necessary to guarantee reliable, affordable service for all New Yorkers.”
“The MTA’s impending fiscal cliff presents us with a fundamental choice. We could balance their budget on the backs of working class New Yorkers who rely on the buses and subways, while doing little to improve service and reliability. Or we could seize the moment to make transformative investments and create a system that’s beloved by every New Yorker, with dependable 6-minute service, frozen fares on the subway and free rides on the bus. It’s up to us in this year’s state budget,” said Assembly Member Emily Gallagher.
Learn more about the legislation and the campaign at fixthemta.org
ABOUT “FIX THE MTA”: The campaign, supported by Riders Alliance, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, Transportation Alternatives, the Democratic Socialists of America, New York City Chapter, New York Communities for Change, and the Invest in Our New York coalition advocates for the “Fix the MTA” package of bills introduced in the NY State Legislature this session. The package makes the MTA safer, more reliable, and affordable by rejecting a fare hike; increasing service; and making buses free. The package includes programmatic measures: to increase accountability through better reporting; establish prudent and accurate budget measures; and boost efficiency. Read more at fixthemta.org.