NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will increase fares on subways, commuter trains, and buses effective Aug. 20, following approval of the new fares by the MTA board on Wednesday.
The fare increases are the first since 2019. They are notable because they end a period in which most transit agencies have been reluctant to raise fares as they attempt to lure riders back after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board also moved to continue or adjust some special fares, and moved to pursue policies to address policies on fare and toll evasion recommended by a blue-ribbon panel. A rundown of those actions:
Fares go up
The base subway and bus fare will increase to $2.90 from $2.75. Single subway and bus rides will increase from $3 to $3.25; seven-day unlimited-ride MetroCards will increase from $33 to $34, and 30-day unlimited MetroCards will rise from $127 to $132. Those using the OMNY tap-to-pay system will have their costs capped at $34 every seven days.
On the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, individual tickets will see a maximum increase of $.50 per trip; monthly and weekly tickets will increase by up to 4.5%. The off-peak discount will be standardized at 26% across both railroads; it had been 25% on Metro-North and 27.5 on the LIRR. There will be no increases on Metro-North’s Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, the two isolated West-of-Hudson lines that connect to New York City via NJ Transit routes.
Some special fares continue or expand
The CityTicket, which offered a $5 flat fare on commuter rail lines during off-peak periods for trips within New York City, will be extended to peak periods for $7. And the Combo Ticket, which covers a trip on both the LIRR and Metro-North for an additional $8, will also be continued.
Two special fare programs, the Atlantic Ticket ($5 one way and $60 weekly) and the 20-trip Peak ticket, will be discontinued.
Full details on fare changes are here.
Fare evasion moves
The report received by the MTA earlier this year estimated that the agency lost $285 million in 2022 to fare evasion on subways [see “New York MTA releases report …,” Trains News Wire, May 18, 2023]. In response, the MTA is addressing unauthorized use of emergency gates, replacing key-access locks and deploying more civilian gate guards. The agency is also preparting a Request for Information on new gates that will be easier to use and harder to evade. The MTA is also working to address the $40 million lost through fare evasion by LIRR and Metro-North passengers who fail to activate a mobile ticket or do not have a paper ticket collected.
More on the fare and toll evasion effort is available here.
Unfortunately, like all the world’s metropolises, the increase in public transportation fares in NYC has become an inevitable reality. Hoping that the next hikes will come out after a very long time!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
The MTa will never gain control or get a rein on their finances. For every fare increase implemented whatever revenue it brings in will be swallowed up by an ever increasing number of riders who simply stop using the bus or subways. Plenty of people who are just struggling to stay above water and keep themselves and their families well taken care of and fed and pay their bills. Also farebeaters should be treated for what they are : crimminals and thieves and prosecuted like you would any other crime Theft, shoplifting, DUI etc. Many of these farebeaters when caught are repeat offenders and have committed other crimes as well. If you keep letting these people go or look the other way these offenders are onlu emboldened to go onto other more dangerous and horriffic crimes. You don’t stop crime or other offenses by simply winking the eye and looking the other way or give just a slap on the wrist. Besides it is not fair to the thousands of hard working law abiding citizens of New York who pay taxes, pay their fare when boarding the subway go to work and support their families while these fare beaters and law breakers get away with their crimes and laugh at our law enforcement and judicial system knowing that they will get away with it. Punish them with heavy fines and jail terms. Then maybe there will be some form of law and order in the subway system as well as safe travel and the MTA will finally get a handle and control on their finances and money that they take inin on fares paid by the law abiding citizens who use the subway. Not the crimminals or law breakers who belong in jail. Until then it won;t be any different unless fare evasion is upgraded to a serious crime with heavy penalties and jail time handed out.
Joseph C. Markfelder
Current NY law plus the current Manhattan DA equals no enforcement for fare jumpers to worry about.
Fare evasion? It’ doesn’t help that in many Democrat-run jurisdictions fare evasion has been decriminalized or just plain ignored. Knowing what I know of NYC politics, a fare evader could be caught, and nothing happen in the way of charges.