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mowotlarx t1_j7kjt4c wrote

They hiked fares when they had the highest ridership year after year. There is zero real connection between how much revenue MTA makes and now much riders pay. It's a deeply corrupt and horribly run agency.

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PKMKII t1_j7lhol6 wrote

That’s because fares only covers operating cost. Any system expansion or capital projects come out of a different pot.

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brownredgreen t1_j7lkzhm wrote

Fares DONT cover operating costs. They are but a fraction. Fares alone dont cover operating costs, ergo this "ridership is the issue" line is completely missing many important factors.

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atyppo t1_j7lrfvj wrote

Why should fares even cover operating costs? Do tolls even come close for all road maintenance and new projects? I doubt it but happy to be shown different...

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brownredgreen t1_j7ls00u wrote

Oh, I agree. But this goes to the point. High ridership doesnt cover operating costs, let alone capital projects. So saying "they raised fares when they had high ridership!" Is fundamentally missing what rider fares can pay for.

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sutisuc t1_j7l6ews wrote

Finally found the one government agency you won’t defend i guess

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mowotlarx t1_j7leqb7 wrote

...I criticize government agencies quite often. What are you even talking about?

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sutisuc t1_j7lf2vu wrote

Unless I’m mixing you up with someone else I’ve seen you defend NYCHA and ACS. Two of the absolute rock bottom public agencies in the city. They’d be in same category of inept as the MTA for me.

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mowotlarx t1_j7liihz wrote

I have never defended NYCHA or anyone at ACS other than the overburdened underpaid staff. You're just making things up or you're confusing me with someone else. Nice try though!

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[deleted] t1_j7koex4 wrote

[deleted]

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timinator232 t1_j7kspca wrote

1970 fares with current inflation is $2.26

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RyzinEnagy t1_j7l5ptm wrote

1970 fares were absurdly low and are the main reason the subway fell into disrepair...this was long before the corruption and wastefulness that occurs today.

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ManhattanRailfan t1_j7kyi4n wrote

There's also a fuckload more service and upgrades happening now than in 1970. Not to mention the fact that transit got a lot more in federal subsidies back then.

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thebruns t1_j7kzvuj wrote

> There's also a fuckload more service and upgrades happening now than in 1970.

Is there a source?

I saw a recent article that Boston had more bus service in 1975 than today.

MTA did massive cuts in 2010 that were never restored

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ManhattanRailfan t1_j7l0zm8 wrote

Most of the 2010 cuts have been restored, and some lines, like the L and 7 receive more service now than ever before due to CBTC upgrades. Not to mention the 7 and Q extensions, station rehabilitation, elevator retrofitting. The MTA in the 1970s also had huge deficits, and in 1970 raised the fare by 50% to plug the holes. Track conditions were bad, maintenance didn't happen like it should have. Hell, as late as 2019 the MTA was still working on the maintenance backlog from that time, which was part of the reason a state of emergency was called in 2017 and is why there seem to be service changes every weekend and night.

https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s

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thebruns t1_j7l17tn wrote

Im aware that maintenance was bad.

I want to see vehicle service hours from then to now including buses.

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ManhattanRailfan t1_j7l4e3v wrote

I don't know about buses, but in the 70s, local trains on trunk lines ran every 4-5 minutes during rush hour compared to every 2-4 today. In total, there were about 6600 daily trains compared to 8200 in 2016.

https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/14/archives/215-more-daily-subway-runs-will-be-eliminated-by-aug-30-215-more.html

http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm

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