Subway and bus commuters are going to be shelling out even more money after the MTA today approved yet another round of fare hikes -- making it the third time in three years that New Yorkers have to pay more to commute.
The MTA voted Thursday to approve fare increases on both the monthly and weekly Metrocards and to lessen the discount on multiple ride cards -- with increases starting in 2011.
The base fare of $2.25 will remain unchanged. A single ride will go up to $2.50.
In the proposal, the monthly Metrocard would be increased by 17%, shooting up the price from $89 to $104, making it the most expensive in the county. The weekly card will also be likely to increase from $27 to $29 dollars.
“Our goal was to try to increase revenue by 7.5% while keeping ridership at its existing levels and also not putting too much of a burden on our lower-income customers,” said MTA spokesperson Aaron Donovan.
The hikes are some of the steepest seen -- and hits unlimited riders the hardest.
Some board members at Thursday’s meeting objected. “This fare plan hits our best customers with the heftiest fare hike,” said Andrew Albert.
Along with the fare hikes, other parts of the proposal include reducing the amount of bonus given on the $10 dollar metrocard from 15% to 8%, and a $1 surcharge for obtaining a new Metrocard.
Local
“We’re hoping that this encourages New Yorkers to re-use their old metrocards, rather than repeatedly getting new ones,” said Donovan. He added that this proposal should save the MTA money on printing costs.
An earlier proposal to keep the price of the monthly card under $100 but to cap the amount of bus or subway rides at 90 was swiftly rejected.
Commuters from the suburbs will also be forced to face fare hikes, as the LIRR will increase prices from 5.5% to 11.5%, while Metro-North riders will see price jumps ranging from 3.8% to 14.3%.
Follow us on Twitter @NBCNewYork,and on Facebook/NBCNewYork, and sign up for breaking news SMS alerts on your phone by texting “NYBREAKING” to 639710.
