The MTA–the people who control all public transportation in the city–finally made rumored fare hikes official yesterday, as part of a “doomsday budget” in the face of a $1.2 billion deficit. There are actually two proposals to be decided upon now: whether to raise the per-ride MetroCard fee to $2.50 or $2.25.

But don’t fret, lowly commuter: “Public comments are being solicited about the MTA fare and toll increase and service reduction proposals.”  One would think they would have accepted these comments before cutting almost one thousand transit employee jobs and eliminating subway lines. But it’s not that bad–honest!

The subway cuts aren’t too brutal: slim down the NRQW and JMZ lines, and “terminate” (their word) the G train at Court Square, all the way up in Queens. If you sift through the official documentation [PDF], you’ll see that these changes are expected to save the MTA about three million dollars. That only leaves like a billion dollars to go! Progress is happening, one laid-off bus driver at a time.

Photo via Flickr under Creative Commons