MTA holding final two public hearings on proposed $3 fare
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The MTA is holding two final public hearings on Wednesday to allow the public to weigh in on the proposed fare hikes.
If the MTA moves forward with its plan to raise fares, New Yorkers will pay 10 cents more, or $3, to ride the MTA's buses and trains, beginning in 2026.
The proposed increase would also make it more expensive to reach the MTA's weekly fare cap, which makes rides free after the first 12 trips in a week. The cap would rise from $34 to $36.
Increases on the LIRR and Metro-North will average 4.4% to 8%. And even tolls on the major crossings will go up roughly 7.5%.
Suburban riders, many of whom take commuter trains and the subways, will take the biggest hit. From Hicksville, a monthly ticket will cost roughly $300 and a one-way fare will top $15. It won't be much better from White Plains where the monthly will top $270 with a one-way fare of nearly $14.
Drivers on the Verrazano and the MTA's East River crossings will be hit, too, with E-ZPass tolls hitting roughly $7.50 and $12 without E-ZPass.
Many of the MTA's long-standing discounts are being phased out, along with the MetroCard, in favor of the agency's tap-and-go fare readers.
Stoking the outrage is congestion pricing, where 80% of the tolls collected from that are supposed to go to the MTA. It's a new revenue source projected to pump $12 billion into subways and busses, and another $1.5 billion to the LIRR and Metro North, and yet, the MTA is about to ask riders for more.
"We have to make the budgets balance, that's why these small incremental increases every year are so important," said MTA CEO Janno Lieber. "Rider satisfaction level is way up."
The entire proposal is expected to be voted on by the MTA Board after three public hearings.
"Us standing here, passionate, deep. Our lives are on the line," said one commuter who attended the first hearing. "So, think about that in the sentence you're making with the power you have absorbed from us as we're out here struggling."
"Working class New Yorkers are caught in an affordability crisis," said commuter Christian Joseph. "Food, rent, childcare and many other things. Basic necessities we need in the city. Transportation being one of them."
If the proposal is approved, the increases would take effect in January.
The MTA has consistently raised fares every other year, by roughly 4%, since 2009. An exception happened in 2021 when Gov. Kathy Hochul froze fares after the pandemic eroded ridership.
Local politicians have also weighed in on the MTA's proposed fare hikes.
Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection, said previously that he didn't support the fare increases.
"We have continued to fight for the cost of living in the city, I believe now is not the time to do an increase in fare hikes," Adams said. "Some people would say, 'Well, it's just a slight increase.' Every dollar matters when you are struggling."
Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani has gone even further in proposing free bus rides for New Yorkers.
Beyond city limits, Rockland County Executive Ed Day is calling for the MTA to immediately withdraw its proposed Metro-North fare increases for West of Hudson commuters, calling them "wholly unjustifiable."
"Our residents already face a value gap exceeding $40 million every year -- paying far more into the system than they receive -- while enduring inadequate, infrequent rail service and chronic underinvestment," Day said.
For those who can't attend the remaining meetings in person, the MTA says the public can submit comments online, or via mail, or by calling (646) 252-6777 from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
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