New York – MTA Votes To Eliminate Hatzolah Organizations Free E-ZPass Privileges

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    New York – VIN News has learned that the MTA Board meeting that occurred this morning to discuss and vote on non revenue E-Zpass status for emergency vehicles, have in fact just passed a resolution to eliminate non-revenue E-ZPass authorizations for public agencies and emergency services organizations.

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    which means, that any volunteer agency in the state of New York with E-ZPass tags assigned to their ambulances will no longer be valid for toll-free passage across MTA Bridges and Tunnels nine facilities and they will be required to pre-funded


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    36 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    1:42 bull!!!

    Members didn’t have free E-Z pass, just the buses (ambulances) which go a few times a day from Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island to NYU, Beth Isreal Columbia etc.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Does this also mean that Police cars won’t have the ornage E-Z Pass tags?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    who ever was the one that voted that Hatzalah shouldnt get free ez pass, should have their head examend.

    Yamamai
    Yamamai
    15 years ago

    It’s very upsetting.

    But between me, u & the land post, it adds a fraction of Hatzoloh’s expenses, so we need to slightly increase our support for Hatzoloh & others.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    What a nearve that these ppl have to say that they must pay!! thay have so many expencis as is!! let the goverment give them money then they can talk!! not even then!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    To Anonymous 1:42pm:

    BS. These EZ Passes that Hatzalah received are GLUED onto the windshields of the ambulances only. No private cars have them, and even the Boro Park Command Center doesn’t have one. The Hatzalah buses (ambulances) were the only Hatzalah vehicles that got them. So your statement of “that’s because hatzalah members were abusing the privilege” is totally commented out of lack of knowledge, your personal vendetta, and last but not least, your 2nd grade writing skills. Hatzalah members in general are people who give up their time, money, sleep, family time etc. to help a fellow person in need. And for all you bashers out there that will comment negatively about Hatzalah, I’m sure there is someone in your family that they once assisted, and you owe their life to Hatzalah. And, not always you need to follow your urges to have the last word.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    heres an idea let thenm eliminate one or two mta police positions at the bridge or tunnels and use his salary to pay for all volunteer ambulances to use the b&t’s. all it means is that there will bwe one to twpo people not standing by a bridge or tunnel with his hands folded across his chest

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    From WCBS880.com:

    MTA Will Charge NYPD, Firefighters to Cross Bridges

    NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s transportation authority has approved a plan to bill government agencies for police, firefighters and other public employees who cross bridges and tunnels.

    As terrible as this idea is, it’s not a plan that singles out Hatzolah, or even “any volunteer agency in the state of New York ” as you stated above. Nor does it compel anyone to wait in line at the cash lanes. It’s a plan to “to bill government agencies” for their EZ-PASS use.

    Of course, by billing the agencies, they’re essentially sticking their hands into one pocket to reimburse the other. The taxpayers are the ones who pay for it in either case, where it relates to government agencies. It’s the volunteer agencies, essentially Hatzolah, who will have to pick up the tab, since they don’t bill the City for the calls they respond to.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Here are the facts! ALL NON-REVENUE agencies that previously had a free EZ-PASS (AKA the Orange EZ PASS) will now be required to fund those same accounts. This requires NYPD, FDNY, NYS Police, and all other agencies that had an ORANGE EZ PASS (from the MTA). They DO NOT have to replace the tags just simply state funding those accounts.

    Let’s not make this jew vs the rest of the world, Hatzolah is under the same umbrella as the NYPD/FDNY. The MTA budget is estimated to increase by $10,000,000 as a result of converting the Free EZ PASSES into regular accounts. In this world of penny pinching and layoff’s this shouldnt be a surprise to anyone.

    As far as the busses that go Daily into the City, I would assume your referring to the “W” since they are riught over the “FREE” W bridge. As far as Queens, Flatbush, BP, etc, yes they are affected and it will certainely cost them money but I dont think they go daily.

    jj
    jj
    15 years ago

    its said private companies only and not city or state owned. cop cars are city owned. they are not picking on hatzoloh. its a rule across the board.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    to 1:48, yamamai, and 1:53

    Aren’t you ashamed of yourself to be writing like this. If my 5th grader would spell like you do, I would …………

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    How much will this amount to anyway?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    IF SO THEN NYPD & FDNY SHOULD PAY!!!

    MAYER
    MAYER
    15 years ago

    We have to play hardball the same way.

    The askonim should find out the names of the ones who voted against. Report it to jewish comunity the come election time we will vote against them and let them know why.

    JoeFlix
    JoeFlix
    15 years ago

    Sorry – the story title is a bit (?) misleading.

    But it is true we will have to throw in a few extra bucks now to Hatzoloh.

    anon money
    anon money
    15 years ago

    oi vey let them calculate how much hatzalah saves NYC and NYS a year ……………….

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I am not surprised, this is government, there is not even one organization which the government runs which they could be proud like Hatzolah.

    Hatzolah, just ignore the stupid government, they barely give you anything anyways, the next time around when you do a fund-raising, I will give you more money.

    Choizik
    Choizik
    15 years ago

    Does Lord Mike have to pay when his entourage uses the bridges and tunnels?

    y get excited
    y get excited
    15 years ago

    to all people with smart comments i think that every gas station has to fill up hatzolahs tanks when they pass free< and all shuls should get free electricty and gas. whats the matter with you if hatzolahs pays the tax payer saves and he can give charity if he wants dont force me to give to hatzolah if i dont want. let me say this, all of u that understand that it should remain free are wellfare people on foodstamps and medicaid including section 8 AND DONT PAY TAXES
    get a life

    y get excited
    y get excited
    15 years ago

    yes bloomberg pays and he pays for the subway too

    Yiddele
    Yiddele
    15 years ago

    What A SHAME! There’s so many areas to cut back with all the fraud in NYC. Once again the good and positive get hit. Volunteer Ambulance services save as is the city so much money in addition to the fact it realy is just a tax penalty on them, because there’s no cost in allowing an ambulance through a bridge or tunnel that functions anyway. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! Note: But, I’m not surprised in the least with the way things seem to be going in NYC… Palin – Help Us Survive!

    guy
    guy
    15 years ago

    All the MTA hunchos and the MTA employees have free EZ passes or metro cards respectively.

    anonymous
    anonymous
    15 years ago

    it was a the chilul hashem of some volunteers who abused the privelege that ruined it for everyone.

    there have been instances of people pretending to rush to emergencies that didnt rewally exist. this is the fallout.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    7:24 – This isn’t referring to individual volunteers. They don’t have these free EZ-PASS tags. And this isn’t singling out Hatzolah either. This will affect every government agency that had a free ride until now.

    While I don’t think it’s a wise idea to cancel the free tags for NYPD, FDNY, EMS, Hatzolah, etc., this is by no means the anti-semitic plan many of the above comments are making it out to be.

    The Shadow
    15 years ago

    Yiddele said: “Palin – Help Us Survive!”

    I’m ging to be dan lekaf zechus here, and assume you meant to say “Hashem – Help Us Survive”, but you made some kind of complicated typo.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    7:24 nice spelling

    what does it actually cost for an abmulance to cross the bridge ??

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    the way people comment here its redicules i think hatzalah should close for a month and then everybody will be happy

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Where are our elected officials when we need them?

    anonymous
    anonymous
    15 years ago

    uh hello read the news, this isnt just for volunteers hatzholahs its for everyone, including the regular police and fire and emergency repoisnders. THEY ALL will have to pay now. why are we yidden always so egocentric we think its about us? this was just on the news, all the regular nypd cops will have to pay too….

    Anon.
    Anon.
    15 years ago

    To anon.  1:57,

    “And for all you bashers out there that will comment negatively about Hatzalah, I’m sure there is someone in your family that they once assisted, and you owe their life to Hatzalah.”

    Why would you make such a statement? Why would someone who benefited from hatzalah want to curse them out? It sounds like your saying -You’re not allowed to criticize me and hatzalah because our goal is to save lives. People have a right to their opinion, just like you. If you disagree with someone’s opinion- give a logical reason as to why. Just trying to remove the carpet from under them makes us wonder if the other guy might have a point!

    anonymous NY
    anonymous NY
    15 years ago

    So if there is an emergency on the bridge, or a fire in the tunnel, The MTA should be charged a fee for the ‘assistance’ from the NYPD, NYFD.

    apple cider
    apple cider
    15 years ago

    EMS is a cash cow for the city thet bill the insurance companies for over 1000 for a local transport

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    why do people assume this is just for hatzolah? this is for EVERTYONE FDNY,NYPD all city and state agencies, volunteer fire depts, emts etc…

    NOBODY
    NOBODY
    15 years ago

    A- People ASSUME this is only for Hatzolah because the headline is misleading. In the Times Ahtzolah isn’t even mentioned.

    B-Teh FDNY, NYPD and all the rest of the city/state agencies won’t be losing a dime, basically the City is taking monet from one pocket (NYPD/FDNY/ETC) and putting it in another (MTA). Hatzolah is 100% private hence the bigger loss.

    C

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    mabe the access a ride should have to start paying and not have access to the HOV lanes so they won”t block so much trafic when they are not in a rush