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Mark #25 - that was NOT a long term plan. That was a tax scheme which required about $300M of the money collected from the new tax to finance the maintenance and installation of the cameras and toll equipment required to collect the tax - That was NOT even a short term plan. That was a scheme to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to a politically connected vendor and the new revenue was going to cover expenses as is being done now.. It was NOT to decrease congestion or to expand public transit. Stop being a sucker. PLEASE People get smart and get violent with these crooks.. You are being mugged while bending over for these crooks!

Once again, Brian asked about audits and accountability and allowed Mr. Sander to give a non-answer. With no follow ups. We get the same answer: 'There are lots of agencies that audit our books and we have an audit board". YET, no one asks and no one can identify WHO is responsible AND accountable for auditing the MTA as to how it uses and spends its money.. We still don't know who has fiduciary responsibility for the MTA or who is responsible for its stewardship - leading the agency so that it's a stronger agency 10-20 years from now. The MTA Board doesn't have those responsibilities. The Mayor doesn't. the Governor doesn't. It would be nice to know who is responsible and accountable for how my money is being spent. WNYC needs to take more responsibility for finding this out

Brian misspoke?
INFLATION?!!
Did Brian actually ask a listener, "don't you think the budget should reflect inflation?"
What inflation?!
As a fellow boomer I suppose it's all to easy for that word to slip out of our mouths.
BUT
What is happening has as much to do with inflation as it does with the Resurrection.
I humbly submit the the correct phrase is closer to, price hikes caused by a credit collapse fueled DEFLATION.

Higher prices by itself is not inflation.
Inflation mean everything is going up, including wages.

Back to economics 101.

Why cant they just let the MTA go into bankruptcy like the auto companies. The unions and mismanagement destroyed those institutions as well. Then at least an impartial 3rd party can arbitrate contracts, deals, salaries, pensions, assets and basically reset the circuit breaker on this organization. otherwise this will be the never ending pickpocket game.

Hey, "Draconian" is a perfectly good word. There is a guy living in Astoria named Draco, and he uses it all the time.

0.34% tax mean that you will pay more if you make around 50K as a family than you would have just paying the fare. Thats not including the other fees and that if it stays at that rate, which we know it will go up year and year out. I hate this state and city at this point. it's no wonder everyone who can move is leaving including businesses.

This is completely an ALBANY problem. Years of buck passing under Pataki -- he's the one who "solved" the MTA's budget problem through borrowing which caused the current huge debt. And then Sheldon Silver playing games with Bloomberg so NYC didn't get Federal funds last year. And the current crop of so-called leaders playing their own games. It's totally pathetic. Mass transit is the only way to go.

There was a long term plan..it was called Congestion Pricing...but our Reps and Sens didn't even vote on it.

Bravo Joe, you got it right. I'm glad someone else got it. Same old crap over and over and over...ad infinitam. Then the claim one month that they have lots of money and two months later they're complaining they have no money. So where did the money from two months earlier go!! And the press never follows up from one claim to the other!!

what is the monthly metrocard going to cost?

I think we should start riding bicycle to and from work. There should be bike lanes and bike parking space or park your bike at workplaces. it's good for you and good for the environment.

Cabs used to be one of the best bargains in NYC compared to the price of taxis in other cities. Those days are over I guess.

Is the thinking in Albany to drive ridership up for the subway at the expense of the taxi drivers?

Why doesn't the MTA just do it like big business? Build whatever they want, keep services up and then go bankrupt and let Washington bail them out. There has to be some way to get Washington to pay for this.

I'd like to see Mr. Sanders deal with the problem that riders have *have* money to *save* money. That is, unless you have (now) $81 upfront, you cannot save money on the $2 each way fare. If you live hand to mouth, if you count your quarters each morning to feed your kids, you have to pay ride by ride. So you cannot possibly save money regardless of the range of "fare structures" available.

That seems to be a problem that has insidiously developed in NYC over the years.

Sander is one of the worst managers in the city infrastructure. His incompetence is matched only by his disingenuousness. He's "proud" of the "improvements" he's made? Give me a break! And if I hear him crying one more time about the MTA's lack of government subsidy, I think I'll vomit. He should be summarily fired-- and not solely because of the fare increase.

I don't believe a word he says.

I hope the future improvements the MTA has planned have a better impact than the new Ferry Terminal station. Fewer trains are turned around during rush hour creating serious lags in the system. And ANY snag, even a minor one, cripples an already hobbled commute. Help like this we do NOT need. It is much more important to get the trains updated and make the track system work than it is to make a pretty terminal. That isn't an improvement. Lipstick on a pig anyone?

This guy sounds really good, but we all know the MTA and its employees (most of them anyway) have absolute contempt for riders. The trains are packed and buses come only occasionally. Bus stop signs are hard to find so if you're walking down Broadway you might have to go 5 or 6 blocks before you can locate a bus stop sign. And it's all going to get worse

@ Alex - I am SO TIRED of hearing the word "draconian", too. Good call to retire the word!

What's the increas on commuter rail again? Do you know how expensive it is to commute from the suburbs if you're taking the Subway, too? I can't afford to live in the city and it's getting to the point where I can't afford to commute either!

How about charging something for the "free" Staten Island Ferry.

It's a subway; not a Limo'. Why do we need all this additional upgrades. Why not keep it simple and keep the fares low? It's not the economy, it's an MTA out of control.

I'm with Alex[4], lay off "Draconian" for a while.

Question for Mr. Sander: How much of the MTA operating budget is debt servicing?

Mr. Sander should explain how the senior half fare will be assessed with a regular 25 cent increase. No one has explained this.

Agree 100% with Mike. Plus a lot of unanswered questions for Mr. Sander, esp. re: TRANSPARENCY.

I guess this pretty much sums it up for most of us NY'ers:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hXBAoIAKx4

Taxi drivers and riders pay, but all other cars in the city get a free pass. UNFAIR. Albany, and especially Sheldon Silver, are too weak to support the fairest solution, congestion pricing.

Suck it up monkeys.. We only expected a $0.25 from your broke ass anyway. Don't worry, we'll be back for more soon.

- Lee Sanders

Can we PLEASE retire the word "Draconian" now?

Please?

The MTA needs to get its act together, make a longterm operation and capital plan and stay within its budget. If fares need to be raise then so be it, but there needs to be some financing of this vital transportation system by the Federal, State and local governments. I tried of hearing them moan and groan, continually ask for more money without proper justification.

This is why we need deflation. No one can afford anything anymore. It's too expensive to live.

I'm still amazed that we threw 100+ billion at AIG without even a debate, but we can't cough up enough for the MTA to improve its service and run at an affordable rate. America is doomed.

The 0.34% payroll tax doesn't seem all that bad.