As the MTA board votes today to raise fares in 2011, no subway ride is even worth the current $2.25 fare, a new report finds.
A rider advocacy group ranked 22 major lines in the system from best to worst, but even the 7 train, the best in the system, is only worth $1.60 a ride, according to a report by the Straphangers Campaign. A ride on the C train, which is plagued by mechanical breakdowns, grime and long waits, is worth no more than 55 cents, finds the report, compiled using the MTA’s own data.
“All the lines have a good ways to go before they are worth $2.25,” said Gene Russianoff, an attorney for Straphangers. “And it appears the fare is going up.”
The 7 topped the list due to its clean cars, infrequent breakdowns and frequency of service. “It is the most reliable out of the whole system, especially how often it comes,” said Jason Phillips, 30, an elevator technician on the 7 yesterday. “It comes every five minutes.”
Riders on the C, however, endure one of the longest waits and a higher frequency of mechanical breakdowns and dirty trains. Cars on the C train are the oldest in the system, in use since the early 1960s, according to MTA officials.
C train riders weren’t surprised the line is the worst two years in a row. “Living on the C line is definitely not the best — it’s slow and it doesn’t show up very often,” said Ilana Arazie, 35, as she disembarked from a C at Port Authority. “It’s ridiculous the fare is going up; it’s already so expensive. But we don’t have a choice.”
