Memorandum
To:
Andrew Cuomo, New York State Governor
From:
Aaron Tejada, Student at John Jay and New York City Resident
Date:
February 13, 2020
Subject:
Metrocard Fare Reduction for College Students
A MetroCard nowadays is $2.75 per swipe, if
you go to school 5 days out of the week that’s $27.50. Not every student can
afford to spend that amount of money on a weekly basis, even a monthly unlimited
is too much for some students.
The
MTA keeps increasing the fare on MetroCards at an unprecedented rate in an
already expensive economy. It’s difficult for college students who have to pay
for their own tuition and books, also have to pay such a fee for transportation
just to get to school. Even those who are covered by financial aid sometimes
can’t pay the fee, which eventually leads to hopping the train. The citation
for hopping the train is $100, another ridiculous amount which in most cases
students are not able to pay right away. Not only do students have to worry
about paying for a MetroCard but also having to worry about feeding themselves.
If you are a student who buys their own lunch every day and pays for a
MetroCard, that is about on average $20 per day. Eventually, that adds up and students have no choice but to rely on public transportation to get to
school.
Giving
college students a reduced fee MetroCard or a MetroCard with 3 free swipes
until 10pm is the best solution that comes to mind. These MetroCards should be
given out by their colleges, once every semester, making a replacement
difficult to get. This is the same plan that is used for High School students in public schools.
Another solution would be to make CUNY ASAP available to all colleges in New
York City, not just the community colleges. This would help students get
through their day to day lives in school without worrying about money for a
MetroCard.
Thank
you for taking the time to read this and trying to improve our metropolitan
transportation system. Us students to look forward to the positive solution you
will provide for this issue, feel free to reach out if you have any questions
or concerns.
No comments:
Post a Comment