State lawmakers are telling the Metropolitan Transportation Authority they will not back fare hikes for riders.

Officials are now looking for other ways to close the agency's financial gap. The MTA says it's dealing with fiscal issues after running out of over $15 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Both the state Senate and state Assembly are calling on the agency to forgo its planned 5.5% fare increase for this year as well as an expected future hike in 2025.