Bryan Peranzo, LIRRCC Member
August 20, 2025
I’m Bryan Peranzo, a member of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council.
No one likes fare hikes, but small, regular increases are better than what we’re seeing in other places. It’s important to keep frequent and reliable service for the millions of riders who rely on the LIRR, and for our economy.
I do take issue with the proposed automatic activation and expiration after four hours. Here are my concerns about why it won’t work in real life:
I usually buy my ticket the night before, but now that’s off the table, along with that convenience.
What if I bought a ticket before I left the office and then decided to grab dinner or drinks with some colleagues? My ticket would expire and I would lose the money.
What if I bought a ticket in the morning before heading to work and my child was sick and I needed to stay home? My ticket would expire and I would lose the money.
What if I bought a ticket and then my train was delayed and I decided to travel a different way? My ticket would expire and I would lose the money.
What if I want to give my kid a ticket to hold onto in case they need it? Under this plan that would be impossible.
A 48-hour expiration window is a better, more realistic option. I understand the goal is to address the fare evasion, but at the same time, these changes will inconvenience a lot of honest commuters.
I am also concerned about losing the ten trip. It doesn’t always make sense for me to buy a monthly, so a ten trip is most cost- and time-effective – especially for off-peak travel. But its loss could increase the price up to 23-percent. That’s a lot! I am open to changing the way I travel but you should implement these changes over time and not all at once.
Finally, having just three meetings in two days at one place in Brooklyn is a real disservice to riders. The pop-up meetings don’t work where many of us live either. There should be more hearings for a longer period.