PATH train riders say with the economy hurting, this is the wrong time for a steep fare hike. On Friday, the Port Authority announced it would potentially raise the path prices and toll prices for Hudson River crossings. A 30-day unlimited path pass would go from its current $54 to $89, that's a 65% increase. A one-way PATH trip would go up by a dollar. As for the tolls, the current $8 toll at the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and the George Washington Bridge would go from $8 to $12 during peak hours for EZPass holders and up to $15 for cash payers.
Governor Christie and Governor Cuomo said they are looking at the proposed fare hikes together to see if there's another way. They're also in discussion with the Port Authority. At a news conference Monday, Governor Christie gave a sense of his gut reaction upon hearing about the potential increases, saying "You're kidding, right?".
The Port Authority says right now, this is all just a proposal, the plan must be voted on and that will happen on August 19th. Riders want their voices heard now.
This is the first time since 1962 that a PATH fare would be more than a New York City subway single ticket ride which is $2.50.
We will review the proposal but have obvious and significant concerns the Port Authority is facing financial issues but so are families in the states of New York and New Jersey, and the answer cannot always be an indiscriminate and exorbitant increase in the cost to the taxpayer, or in this case, toll payer.
