The Tri-State Transportation Campaign applauds Governor Spitzer’s commitment to holding subway and bus fares at $2, and his promise to increase state aid to the MTA. Plain and simple, the announcement proves that he is listening to transit riders.

The proposal still leaves some unanswered questions, like how much the unlimited ride cards will cost, but it’s clear that significant progress has been made.

In considering the new fare and toll structure, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign encourages the MTA to hold fares as low as possible, and ensure tolls on MTA crossings increase more than fares. Generally, households with cars are wealthier than those without who rely on subways, buses, and commuter rail lines to travel around the region.

In light of this news, we once again encourage the agency to consider variable pricing on its crossings, which would charge drivers more during peak, congested times. The agency could hold off-peak tolls flat, for example, and only increase tolls during the most congested periods. Such a toll structure could raise the same amount of revenue, but save drivers time.