The MTA proposed to raise the cost of a base-fare ticket from $2.75 to $2.90 in a finance committee meeting held on Monday.
Transit officials said this hike is needed to generate more fare revenue for the MTA, and that it puts them back on track for their bi-annual fare hikes, particularly with their ridership down from pre-pandemic times.
“We haven’t had a fare increase in some time, this is a reasonable increase given inflation,” said Neall Zuckermann, MTA Finance Committee Chair. “It is in keeping with what we did for at least a decade in having a fare increase.”
Riders who spoke with News 12 say that the MTA should be focusing more on improving safety for their riders instead of fare hikes.
"It’s terrible how the transit system is working at this time, there's so much crime that you don't even want to ride or participate,” said rider Steven Jones. “For a fare hike at this time, it's not the right thing to do. We need more safety and security on the subways."
Tolls would also increase by 6% for E-ZPass, and tolls by mail on all MTA bridges and tunnels would see a 10% increase.
Public hearings in response to the proposed fare hike will be available in June.
