Mar 25, 2009 8:26 pm US/Eastern
Driving To NYC More Appealing Thanks To MTA Budget
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The big fare hikes add significantly to the cost of commuting. For many, it's pick your poison between driving and taking mass transit.
CBS 2 took a closer look at the cost of one woman's commute from New Rochelle to Manhattan. She works at 57th Street and 11th Avenue.
Healthcare executive Terry Cavanaugh changed gears with her commute nine years ago. She started driving to work on Manhattan's west side after the train-shuttle-subway combination got to be too much.
She added up all the costs – gas, tolls on the Henry Hudson bridge, and parking – and decided the extra expense was worth it.
"The beauty of this is I'm on my own schedule. If you're 5 minutes late for the train, too bad, you missed it," she says.
Today, the cost differential between driving and taking the train is pretty significant, but it's about to narrow significantly. Currently a monthly pass from New Rochelle to Grand Central Terminal is $169. But that will go up $40 a month under this fare hike plan.
When you add up the current cost of gas, parking in Manhattan, and tolls versus a monthly train pass, parking at the New Rochelle station, and a monthly Metrocard for the subway, driving is $151 more expensive per month.
But after the fare and toll hikes, the car versus train cost difference narrows considerably to $102.
Patricia LaPorta, a MetroNorth rider, says that makes driving more appealing, but not appealing enough.
"I just think the time and the effort to drive into the city, it's not worth a person's sanity," she says.
But she believes many mass transit riders will "do the math" to see if the massive fare hikes make driving an attractive option.
The relatively low price of gas is one car-versus-train factor that could change dramatically. Last year, when gas was approaching $5, mass transit ridership shot up.
Commuters everywhere will be impacted by the budget.
On Long Island, fares are going up across the board. For example: Mineola to Penn Station monthly fares will be going up from $185 to $235. Ronkonkoma to Penn Station monthly fares will climb from $278 to $352.
But Connecticut commuters won't feel the pinch just yet. The state's department of transportation owns the MetroNorth New Haven line. They must approve any changes to fares or reductions in service.
Right now, they're considering an MTA proposal to eliminate some trains to Stamford and other towns in Fairfield County, as well as possible fare increases.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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