Fares for subway and bus riders in New York City increased for the third time in three years at midnight, and commuters who take MTA bridges and tunnels now have to pay more for tolls.
The price for a single bus or subway ride went up 25 cents to $2.50. A monthly MetroCard now costs $112, up from $104, a 7-day MetroCard costs $30, up from $29, and a 7-day MetroCard costs $55, up from $50. Unlimited-ride MetroCards purchased before Sunday must be activated by March 10 to keep their full value.
Tolls on MTA bridges and tunnels also went up Sunday, with tolls at most crossings rising from $4.80 to $5.33 for E-ZPass customers, and from $6.50 to $7.50 for cash customers.
On Friday, fares on the LIRR and Metro-North rose between 8 and 9 percent, depending on distance and ticket type.
The increases are expected to bring in an additional $450 million a year for the MTA, which was struggling to close its budget deficit even before Sandy caused $5 billion in damage to the system.
For the first 44 years that subways were running, the price to ride was 5 cents and there were no fare increases. Here is a history of fare hikes on the city subways and buses.
1904: subway opens, fare of 5 cents
1948: increases to 10 cents
1953: 15 cents; fares now apply to bus lines
1966: 20 cents.
1970: 30 cents
1972: 35 cents
1975: 50 cents.
1980: 60 cents.
1981: 75 cents
1984: 90 cents
1986: $1
1990: $1.15
1992: $1.25
1995: $1.50
1997: free transfers between buses and subways begin.
1998: unlimited-ride MetroCards introduced. A 30-day card costs $63.
2003: single-ride fare increases to $2. Thirty-day MetroCard increases to $70.
2009: single-ride fare increases from $2 to $2.25, 30-day MetroCard goes up to $89 from $81
