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MTA Will Propose Raising Subway/Bus Fare To $3 In March
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 20, 2017
Modified Jan 20, 2017
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 20, 2017
Modified Jan 20, 2017
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After months of reminders (warnings?), the MTA will move to increase the base fare for subways and buses $3, up from $2.75.
The Daily News has the scoop: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will recommend a 25-cent jump to the base fare at its board meeting next week — passing on another option that would have kept it at $2.75. The deal that MTA brass is pushing would also increase the bonus that riders get for every round trip on their MetroCard to 16%, up from 11%. That means an extra 96 cents for every $6 purchase. A source familiar with the decision said the $3 base fare, coupled with a fatter bonus, was presented as the best deal for the riders who use the system the most heavily."
The source told the News that New Yorkers of all incomes levels typically use MetroCard with bonuses, but MTA Board Member David Jones, who leads the Community Service Society of New York, voiced concerns in November that poor New Yorkers would bear the brunt of the burden: "Low income people are in the least advantageous area of the fare category. It seems like we’re tilting [the hike] again" to benefit those buying more expensive MetroCards.
Monthly MetroCards, currently $116.50, would increase to $121 and weekly MetroCards, now $31, will be $32.
The MTA has been on a schedule of fare hikes every two years. Another increase is planned for 2019, and the agency hopes to add another $308 million through 2020 with the additional fee.
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fare hike
mass transit
metrocard
MTA
subway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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