Re: (erielack) Re: OT commuter railroads

["Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie_@_pipeline.com>]

bob gillis writes:

> It has been said that the NYC subways would save money by allowing people 
> to ride for free; ie the cost of collecting the fares is more than the 
> fares generate.


Well, I can fess up. Back in 1965 -- besides promoting the NYS&W's "Butler 
Day "Express" I was a teenage volunteer in the Buckley for Mayor cam[aign in 
New York City. It was proposed to do just that -- seeing as how there was 
going to be a hefty subsidy -- why not simply get rid of the fares and save 
the collection expense in the process?

On NJT -- the ticketing system is a railfans delight -- and most of us make 
use of it.  ticket from Port Jervis to Hoboken is the same price as a ticket 
from Port Jervis to Hackettstown -- so when you go to Hoboken, you get your 
ticket back, and use it another time on another trip to another destination. 
Railfans never simply purchase a round trip, say to Hoboken. There's always 
more train riding to do at no extra cost.

The other thing to remember -- when transferring via PATH at Hoboken (or 
Newark) -- never pay a fare to the Port of Authority. Always purchase a 
Metro Card of $10.00 or more. The MTA gives you a 20% discount, so the Metro 
card is worth $12.00 -- so there's 8 trips for $10, while the Port of 
Authory's Quick Cards will charge you $12.00 for the same number of rides.

As it turns out -- the politically  conservative area of the City -- Staten 
Island -- wangled this during the Giuliani administration. Staten Island 
Railway is "free" except at St George, as is the Staten Island Ferry. 
Residents also get a reduced toll on the Verrazzano Bridge, and a hopelessly 
deficit-ridden express bus system to bring them to Manhattan -- complete 
with a Staten Island HOV lane maintained in Morning Rush.

Overall, the city received the "One City - One Fare" concept -- where a 
Metro Card is a free transfer between bus and subway, and 
monthly/weekly.daily cards that are just that.

The only fly in the ointment is the Port of Authority won't take unlimited 
ride metro cards, and the TA doesn't offer any " free transfer" in 
connection with PATH.

Cheers,
Jim


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