The higher fees are part of a budget agreement that state lawmakers hashed out earlier this year where the MTA would get additional payroll tax revenue while also increasing fares and tolls. — Bloomberg
NEW YORK: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) voted to lift prices on its subways, buses and commuter rails for the first time since 2019 as the nation’s biggest public transit system moves to close budget deficits.
The steeper charges are set to take effect on or about Aug 20 after the MTA approved the increases at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday. The agency boosted the cost of monthly and weekly transit passes in 2019, but it hasn’t raised the base fare for the subway since 2015.
The base subway and bus fare will now rise to US$2.90 (RM13.20) from US$2.75 (RM12.50) and the weekly unlimited pass will increase by US$1 (RM4.55) to US$34 (RM155). A monthly unlimited pass will cost US$132 (RM602), up from US$127 (RM579). Tolls on MTA bridges and tunnels, which the MTA last raised in 2021, will now go up 6% for E-ZPass users.
The higher fees are part of a budget agreement that state lawmakers hashed out earlier this year where the MTA would get additional payroll tax revenue while also increasing fares and tolls.
“It’s not without its downsides because anytime you’re asking people to pay a little more, that has consequences,” Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief executive officer, said during Wednesday’s meeting.
“But for everybody who depends on this transit system – like I always say, mass transit is like air and water for New Yorkers –we need it.”
The transit agency, which is run by New York state, avoided fare hikes until now to encourage riders to return in the wake of the pandemic. The MTA plans to increase fares again in 2025, returning to its pre-pandemic trend of boosting fees every two years. — Bloomberg
