Transit leaders in New York City on Tuesday approved a 10-cent increase to subway and bus fares, allowing them to rise to $3 starting next year.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the city’s subway and buses, also finalized a plan, set to take effect on Jan. 4, that will make modest changes to commuter rail fares, tolls and other public transit in the New York region.
The outcome of the vote, held Tuesday morning at M.T.A. offices in Downtown Brooklyn, was widely expected after the board revealed a version of the plan months ago. Eleven board members voted in favor and two abstained; none voted against it.
The cost of weekly and monthly tickets on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, which are priced based on the distance traveled, will increase by up to 4.5 percent; one-way fares will climb by up to 8 percent. Access-A-Ride, the paratransit service that costs the same as the subway, will also cost $3 starting next year.
Tolls on several bridges and tunnels will increase by about 7.5 percent. A trip for most vehicles through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, for example, would climb to $7.46 from $6.94.
The changes were expected to raise $350 million a year in additional revenue for the transit authority. The agency relies on a roughly $20 billion annual operating budget that it uses to cover worker salaries and benefits, utility costs and borrowing expenses. More than a quarter of the budget comes from fares.
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The post N.Y.C. Subway and Bus Fares Will Rise to $3 in January appeared first on New York Times.
