What is a "fair price" to charge for a subway ride?

Before I start to answer that question, let me preface my remarks with this: I am not letting the MTA off the hook for their colossal waste of money on everything from their offices at 2 Broadway, to their interminable "construction projects" on, among other things, the #7 line I ride every day, to any other waste, fraud or incompetence. This is not about fixing that problem; this is about what's a fair fare. Got it? Good. Now...

Historically (for the last 25-30 years, anyway), prices have, up until the introduction of the MetroCard, varied more or less with inflation. Some fare increases have outpaced inflation, while others have fallen short.

Today, an average fare of about $1.75 would be in line with historical levels, after adjusting for inflation. Clearly, the $2.00 top price is too high, and even the "15% bonus" cards cost about $1.79/ride, slightly above historical averages. While that price is not far off from the average, any increase in that price, which the MTA is threatening, would be out of line.

The problem is with the weekly and monthly "unlimited ride" cards. I own a monthly card, and get a new one every 30 days. That's because I ride the subways and buses a lot; in fact, at $81 every 30 days I'm spending about what I spent 20 years ago -- without adjusting for inflation.

The fact is, with all the weekly and monthly cardholders, the "average fare per ride" is less than $1.40, which is about 20% below historical averages. No wonder the MTA is perpetually short of cash.

If the MTA were to eliminate the weekly and monthly passes, and reset the "bonus" cards back to 20% (meaning we get six rides for $10, like we used to), it would solve a host of problems:

• They'd make a lot more money;
• The "bonus" cards would then cost $1.67/ride, less than historical averages;
• They'd virtually eliminate any "fare selling" that may be happening now;
• There would be lower administrative costs, since they're eliminating some types of cards.

Would it be "fair" to someone like me to have to pay what others pay? Well, it was "fair" for almost a century, so why would it be unfair now?

In fact, the only people who would pay more than historical averages would be those people who buy single-ride cards, or pay full price in cash on the bus. Most of those people are either tourists (who already pay inflated prices for all sorts of things, so why not the subway as well?), extremely infrequent riders, and a few poor people who don't seem to be able to lay out even as little as $10 for a subway card.

For those too poor, I don't have any good answer, although I'd like to see some kind of method created so that they can enjoy the same "bonus" discount as everyone else in town. For the others -- deal with it. Life's not fair, and I'm sure you benefit from other inequities elsewhere, so don't complain.