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Rikki Schlott

Rikki Schlott

 Opinion

MTA’s new taxicab charge plan puts a tax on women’s safety

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Published Oct. 1, 2022, 1:00 p.m. ET
Elizabeth Gomes was recently attacked by a homeless man at the Howard Beach-JFK MTA Station, yet another incident highlighting the dangers women face on the subway. But rather than improve subway safety, the MTA is proposing charges that will make taxis and rideshares more expensive and forcing more women to ride the rails.
Elizabeth Gomes was recently attacked by a homeless man at the Howard Beach-JFK MTA Station, yet another incident highlighting the dangers women face on the subway. But rather than improve subway safety, the MTA is proposing charges that will make taxis and rideshares more expensive -- and force more women to ride the rails. Gabriella Bass

As a young woman living in the city, I take notice of the constant stream of headlines chronicling the latest underground crimes.

Just last month a 21-year-old girl was raped at the end of a subway platform. Mere days earlier, a 22-year-old girl found herself cleaning her own blood up in a subway car after a random attack. These girls are both my age. They could just as easily have been me. I myself was the victim of a threatening stalking incident just a couple months ago.

On Sept. 20, a 33-year-old Queens woman was so brutally beaten by a homeless ex-con on a subway platform, she could lose the sight in her right eye. It’s all too frightening to imagine.

That’s why — when it’s late, or when I’m alone, or when I find myself in an unfamiliar place — I opt to spend some extra cash for a cab or an Uber just to be safe. 

Vesly Beato, 22, was randomly slapped on a Manhattan subway train. Fed up with rising violence in New York, she told The Post she’s considered moving to Florida.
Vesly Beato, 22, was randomly slapped on a Manhattan subway train. Fed up with rising violence in New York, she told The Post she’s considered moving to Florida. Vesly Beato
Police outside an Uptown Manhattan subway station where a teenager was fatally stabbed in July. Even as subways become more dangerous, the MTA is pushing new ride-share surcharges that could boost prices by 70%.
Police outside an Uptown Manhattan subway station where a teenager was fatally stabbed in July. Even as subways become more dangerous, the MTA is pushing new rideshare surcharges that could boost prices by 70%. Christopher Sadowski

Paying for Ubers doesn’t come cheap. Already, the MTA charges a $2.75 congestion fee for trips under 96th Street in Manhattan — a measure that Uber supported in 2019 after a report found they and other ride-share companies had increased traffic in the city. That surcharge is already estimated to pull in nearly $400 million for the MTA every year.

But even with that budget bump, the MTA has completely failed at its job of creating a hospitable transport system. Subway crimes have soared by 50% year-over-year, while ridership understandably still hovers at just 60% of pre-pandemic levels.

The author with the can of pepper spray she carries everywhere to protect herself against potential assailants. Taking Ubers instead of the subway is another way she defends herself.
The author with the can of pepper spray she carries everywhere to protect herself against potential assailants. Taking Ubers instead of the subway is another way she defends herself. Stephen Yang

Now, tone-deaf MTA officials are proposing new and exorbitant congestion fees on Ubers, Lyfts and yellow taxis, which will make cabs even less affordable — and force many of us to face the risk of taking the subway even at night.

In their recently released Environmental Assessment for Congestion Pricing report, the MTA proposed new tolls for Ubers and Lyfts below 60th Street that could mean fees of up to $23 per ride and a price increase of 70% for ride-share travelers in peak hours — on top of the fees they already pay. Nearly 30,000 Uber drivers have emailed the MTA with their concerns over the surcharge, according to Uber spokesperson Josh Gold, joining a protest of yellow-cab drivers whose riders would be hit with increases of up to $19 a ride.

With subway crime up 50% from last year, many New York women are frightened to travel underground.
With subway crime up 50% from last year, many New York women are frightened to travel underground. AP

It’s bad enough that our public transport system has devolved into anarchy. What’s worse is public officials financially strangling those of us who put our safety first.

Many of my friends, predominantly fellow young women living in the city, feel they have no choice but to take cabs and cars, despite crippling inflation and the already high cost of living here. And we’re the fortunate ones, able to afford the luxury of safety in New York, even if it’s stretching our budgets thin.

Gomes recovers at home with her husband Clement Tucker. “Every day is an incident in the subway," said Gomes, who may lose sight in her right eye.
Gomes recovers at home with her husband Clement Tucker. “Every day is an incident in the subway,” said Gomes, who may lose sight in her right eye. Gabriella Bass

This extra charge is absurd and immoral. Until our leaders can make the subway system a hospitable place again, they have absolutely no business making alternative modes of transportation even more expensive than they already are.

Yes, traffic is a massive problem in New York. But so is the city’s failure to ensure that New Yorkers can go about their day-to-day activities without rightfully fearing for their lives in the very transportation system their tax dollars pay to maintain.

In short, the MTA isn’t putting a tax on superfluous rides — it’s putting a tax on women’s safety.

Rikki Schlott is a 22-year-old journalist and activist living in New York.