Good morning, my name is Brit Byrd, and I am presenting this testimony of behalf of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Thank you Chair Lieber and members of the Board for holding these hearings on proposed fare changes.
This week, I am releasing the 2025 update to The Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn. Transit is at the heart of The Plan; it is central in my analysis of where Brooklynites live, work, and have access to opportunity. There is no Brooklyn without transit. Fare increases should be regular, predictable, and incremental, and the proposed change from $2.90 to $3 fits these criteria.
I support the addition of a weekly fare cap for express buses, which are vital for riders in southern and eastern Brooklyn. A fare cap will encourage more riders to opt for transit over personal vehicles traveling over the BQE and through the Hugh L. Carey/Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and will build on the early success of congestion pricing. As outlined in my Comprehensive Plan, I urge you to work with DOT to complement this fare change with bus priority lanes on the BQE and in the Tunnel, which would further speed up express bus commutes.
Changes to our railroads have a profound impact on Brooklyn, not only because of our borough’s three LIRR stations, but also through the millions of vehicle trips that are diverted to cleaner, safer, rail journeys instead. I applaud your proposal to bring back CityTicket as a permanent feature, but this current proposal does not go far enough. I urge you to include a weekly CityTicket option that includes transfers to buses and subways, unify the railroads’ City Zones to encourage regional rail travel, and introduce a “mid kid” ticket discount for 12-to-17 year-olds. CityTicket has already led to an uptick in ridership within the city; incentivizing further ridership through these measures would help offset the subsidies for a weekly CityTicket.
Finally, I encourage you to use these proposed fare changes to bring more efficient, cost-effective forms of fare collection along the Atlantic Branch. In the Comprehensive Plan, I call for the MTA to pursue a “regional metro” model of service along the Atlantic Branch, with all-day frequent service and off-board fare collection. The MTA’s proposal to eliminate the need to “activate” railroad tickets acknowledges the reality that the status quo of railroad fare collection is a hassle for riders and conductors alike. Increasing the prevalence of off-board fare collectionat the city’s busiest terminals would offer an alternative way to disincentivize fare evasion without switching to tickets that are only valid for four hours. I encourage you to use the Atlantic Branch’s four stations and dedicated tracks to pilot global best practices for regional metro service in our region.
Thank you for your time today.