Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The NYC MTA as Treasury and Congress

As usual, NYC is in an uproar over speculation about subway fares.  In this New York Times piece, we see the discussion is about the middle class, of course!

Observation #1: The MTA has already done away with pennies, nickels and dimes, as the spokesman explains fares may only move in 25 cent increments.  Better strategy: Start demanding payments in nickels, the the MTA can start melting them down to cover their deficit!

Observation #2: Many monthly pass riders use Transit-Checks, the program to pay for transportation to work with pre-tax dollars through your employer. So, every time the MTA considers the ratio of monthly pass price to single ride price, they're actually re-allocating federal tax loopholes.