MTA board opposes biennial fare hike, despite costly action plan

It seems only natural that after unveiling an $836 million plan to fix the ailing NYC subway system, the MTA would want to increase fares on the service. That’s what the agency’s chief financial officer, Robert Foran, said at a monthly board meeting, the New York Times reports. He told board members that MTA officials were looking to continue the biennial fare hike in 2019 and 2021 to meet its long-term financial needs.

Mercifully, some board members were not having it, and asked how the MTA could possibly justify a fare hike with the quality of service being offered at the moment. MTA chairman Joseph Lhota told the Times that he felt the board had come to a general consensus that the MTA needed to find a different source of financing, and that he was looking at other options.

Some board members in particular pointed to the fact that there was no end in sight to this biennial increase and that this revenue source wasn’t sustainable in the long run.

“If you take these to their logical conclusion, at some point, the fare will be $10 and tolls will be $50,” MTA board member Andrew Albert told the Times.

The last fare hike took place in March this year when weekly passes increased $1 to $32, and monthly passes increased from $116.50 to $121. The single fare however remained the same at $2.75.

• M.T.A. Board Pushes Back Against Plans to Raise Fares in 2019 and 2021 [NYT]
• MTA's MetroCard fare hikes will go into effect this weekend [Curbed]
• Subway and bus fare will remain $2.75 following MTA vote [Curbed]