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The port authorities of New York and New Jersey on Thursday approved a series of tariff increases that will affect the crossings of the Hudson River, the removal of taxis at airports, air trains and bridges.
"We are going to all the extremes to avoid rate hikes and tolls," said Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority, after unanimous approval of the increases by the board of directors . "However, we also need to support investments in our aging old facilities.
AirTrain rates at Newark and JFK airports will increase from the current price of $ 5 to $ 7.75 as of November 1, 2019.
Starting October 3, 2020, rental vehicles (Uber, Lyft, etc.) will pay $ 2.50 to come to airports, while taxis will pay $ 1.25. Taxi fare will be $ 1.75 on October 1, 2022.
Tolls at the Hudson River crossings will increase with inflation, as for PATH rates.
The Staten Island and New Jersey bridges will be $ 6.88 for users crossing more than three times per month.
Nonetheless, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said she must fight the Port Authority to keep the reduced rate to three trips a month.
"They want to treat my constituents and the people of New York and New Jersey like piggy banks, like ATMs, and any increase will hit us hard," Malliotakis told Gothamist / WNYC.
Cotton said that only a third of the Port Authority's revenues came from tolls and fares.
Senator Loretta Weinberg worried that the new tolls would mean that NJ Transit buses will pay an extra $ 8 per trip, which would hurt the profitability of this already fragile agency.
"NJ Transit is still recovering from many years of mismanagement due to the previous administration and is already facing many serious problems. The health of NJ Transit is of paramount importance to maintaining trans-Hudson capability, "said Weinberg, at Thursday's board meeting. "Increasing the toll on NJT to pay for the harbor is literally robbing Peter and paying Paul."
Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey supported the hikes.
"Governor Murphy is pleased that the re-evaluation of the Port Authority's 10-year capital plan will include initiatives he has long advocated, such as the new air train, improvements to the PATH service, funds dedicated to a new bus terminal and the redevelopment of terminals 1 and 2 at Newark Airport, "said the spokesman for the governor, Matthew Saidel, in a statement.
The New York Governor's Office, Andrew Cuomo, did not return e-mail for comment at the time of publication. (Cuomo must have a "fireside chat" with former NJ Governor Chris Christie at the Christie Institute for Public Policy at Seton Hall tonight.)
The funds generated by this revenue increase will go to the airports of the bridge repair authorities and the new Midtown bus terminal.
At Thursday's meeting, the board decided to increase its 2017-2026 capital plan by $ 4.8 billion to $ 37 billion.
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