May 11, 2009

New $2.25 subway, bus MetroCard fare to start June 28

After state legislators approved a bailout that will be funded in part by new payroll taxes and a 50-cent taxi surcharge, the board of the MTA today voted to raise MetroCard rates by 25 cents less than planned.

Starting June 28, the base fare for a subway or bus ride in New York City will rise to $2.25 from the current $2.

The just-rescinded March 25 fare increase would have raised the base subway and bus fare to $2.50 from $2 starting May 31. The bailout also means the MTA does not have to cut service, as had been warned.

“It is what it is. It’s a solution that will at least in the short term, prevent the Armageddon that loomed large when we met last month,” MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger said. “It is undoubtedly a bittersweet solution that comes with additional pain … for everybody who lives and works in our region.”

The base MetroCard fare wasn’t the only change approved today. Subway and bus riders will still get the bulk-buy bonus of 15 percent, but only if they put at least $8 on their card, up from $7 now, according to NY1.

The monthly 30-day MetroCard will rise to $89 from $81; 14-day MetroCards will rise to $51.50 from $47; 7-day cards will go up to $27 from $25, and a one-day pass will cost $8.25, up from the current $7.50.

Bridge and tunnel cash tolls will rise to $5.50 on MTA-managed crossings. Others, such as the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, will remain free.

Fares will rise on commuter railroads starting June 17, Gary Dellaverson, the MTA Chief Financial Officer, said during the meeting. Bridge and tunnel tolls will go up in “early July.”

Update: Bridge and tunnel tolls will increase July 12, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new fare schedule.

May 11, 2009 11:30 AM in Transportology

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