MTA hoping for federal dollars to forestall service cuts

MTA hoping for federal dollars to forestall service cuts

People in face masks ride the subway in Manhattan during the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 in New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

NEW YORK (AP) — Motorists and mass transit riders in New York already facing fare and toll increases next year and in 2023 could face drastic service cuts if the federal government doesn’t help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority out of a gaping budget hole brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency also plans to increase tolls at its bridges and tunnels and reduce its administrative staff by nearly 3,000. That’s according to a report issued Tuesday by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. DiNapoli says the MTA plans to hike fares and tolls 4% in both March 2021 and March 2023. Ridership plummeted more than 90% on subways during the height of the pandemic, and riders have only slowly begun to return in recent months.

 

Photo credit: (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)