Unfair Fares

In New York City and vicinity, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) ignored the voice of the people and voted this week to raise the fares on the majority of commuters. On the very day that the vote took place, service on the subways was worse than usual. On top of that, it was reported recently that the MTA was swimming in a huge surplus. Yet service is down, station maintenance is down, and the homeless are moving back into the stations. On the roads, tolls continue to be collected and raised when the purpose of those tolls, especially for bridges and tunnels, was to recoup the original cost of building them. The tolls were never meant to be indefinite or to be used for other means.

The increases in fares and tolls hurt the middle and lower classes of society, which make up the majority of society. There should be no tolls on any roads or bridges or tunnels, and public transportation should be free. General taxes should be used to pay for the providing of these public services. There should be certified and vetted persons managing and maintaining the roads and rails and buses and they should be answerable to the public. A public, annually reviewed audit should occur showing exactly where and how money is being spent.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com