Wednesday, October 10, 2012
A People's History of MTA Fare Hikes
Posted by Henry Stewart on Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Page 10 of 24
On July 1, 1948, the subway fare finally rose from five to ten cents. "The clinking of dimes dropped into the subway turnstiles today will mark the first departure from a 5-cent fare tradition that had withstood forty-four years of assault in the courts and political arena," read the lede in the Times. The subhed: "Nickel Rate Universal and Inviolate Since the First Subway Ride in 1904." The system's private operators had an agreement with the city to keep fares at a nickel up until 1968, but those companies all went under; the city took over and unified the system by 1940 and quickly found a nickel wouldn't cut it any longer. Years of battles ensued until the legislature approved Mayor O'Dwyer's plan to allow the Board of Transportation to raise fares as necessary.
More by Henry Stewart
-
The 5 Best Songs from Twin Peaks
Celebrate Brooklyn native Angelo Badalamenti's birthday!
- Mar 22, 2013
-
Mad Men's Native Brooklynite Explains the Mystery of Her Heritage
Peggy Olson is Norwegian... and Catholic?!
- Apr 8, 2013
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
Not So Smallville: Inside Allison Mack's Cobble Hill Apartment
From Smallville to Strollertown, Allison Mack is on the move.
- Oct 11, 2012
About The Author
Henry Stewart
Bio:
Henry Stewart is the Culture Editor at The L Magazine and some kind of editor at Brooklyn Magazine. He has always lived in Brooklyn.
Henry Stewart is the Culture Editor at The L Magazine and some kind of editor at Brooklyn Magazine. He has always lived in Brooklyn.
