NYC subway rides likely to increase to $3

Prepare to shell out more for a MetroCard swipe this year: NY1 reports that the MTA is leaning towards raising the price for a single subway and bus fare to $3, one of two fare hike options that the transit authority has been mulling since last year.

Under this plan, the bonus on pay-per-ride MetroCards would also go up, with a 16 percent increase when riders purchase a card that’s $6 or more (so a swipe would then actually cost $2.59). The other plan the MTA was considering would have kept the base fare the same—$2.75—but the bonus would have been lower.

According to NY1, the MTA favors the base fare hike because “it was the best deal for its more frequent riders.” (Though if you’re a regular rider who uses a monthly or weekly MetroCard, you’re screwed either way: As we previously reported, the cost of a weekly MetroCard would increase to $32 from the existing $31, and monthly MetroCards would go up from $116.50 to $121.)

The MTA wouldn’t confirm anything regarding the hikes, but its board is due to meet next week, so we may find out soon enough. The fare hike will go into effect by March 19. And there won’t be much of a reprieve once this goes into effect—the next fare hike is due to come along in 2019.

• Sources: MTA to Pick Plan that Hikes Bus and Subway Fare to $3 Per Ride [NY1]