Fair Increases?

Like death, taxes and bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic along the Long Island Expressway, fare increases on area trains and buses in recent years has become an inescapable reality.

So when the calendar hit Dec. 30, riders greeted news of the  instituted by the Metropolitan Transit Authority with a near-collective shrug. 

But not everyone is taking this latest MTA hike on subways, buses and commuter trains lying down. After three straight years of mass transit fare increases — along with corresponding toll raises on the city's bridges and tunnels — pressure on the state transit agency to cut administrative and personnel costs while keeping the same level of service is only likely to intensify in the year ahead.

"There is no question that the MTA hasn't done all it could to keep fares down," said incoming state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Whitestone. "As in many other areas of this city, it seems budgets are being balanced on the backs of the people who can least afford them."

Under the fare hike, a trip to Manhattan on the Long Island Rail Road has gone up from $8 to $8.75. Bus fare, which was once $2.25, is now $2.50, while the Throgs Neck Bridge's toll, formerly $5.50, is now $6.50.

Eliott Socci, president of the Douglaston Civic Association, said the fare hike was unfortunate but, most likely, necessary.

"There's almost nothing any one can do about it," he said. "The MTA is broke. They have to keep the railroads running. It's not a good thing, but it's necessary."

But Socci said he believed the MTA's service has decreased as its fares have gone up.

"The service decreased in the past year," he said. "The weekend schedule was cut in half when they reduced the half-hour trains to hourly trains."

Anthony Pelizzi, who waited for the next train to Penn Station at Little Neck Long Island Railroad this morning, also decried the increase.

"If they're going to charge us more, we should be getting the same level of service at least," Pelizzi said.

Avella, who was sworn in as state Senator representing northern Queens this week, pledged to increase oversight over a transit agency he said had become overburdened with bureaucracy and extravagant perks.

"Over the past year we have undertaken the most aggressive cost-cutting initiative in the history of the MTA, reducing costs by more than $525 million and eliminating more than 3,500 positions," an MTA spokesman said in response to Avella's criticisms of the agency. "But the work is far from over, with recurring savings due to increase to $1 billion by 2014."

Of particular issue for northeast Queens residents was the cancellation of Q79 bus service earlier in 2010 as well as the suspension of a group ride vehicle service along the same route last month.

"I'm happy that they tried it," said Councilman Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens, referring to the canceled shared-ride van system. "But they need to do it right."

While the Taxi and Limousine Service attempts to find another private carrier to restart the van service, Little Neck residents, like North Hills Estates president Judy Cohen, are  to bring back the Q79 bus.

Nathan Duke contributed to this story.