Karmactive Staff
New York commuters won’t see higher subway and bus fares in August as originally planned. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber announced on June 25 that the expected fare increase will be delayed, though he made it clear prices will still go up later this year.
“Because of the nature of the public process, it cannot and won’t be in August,” Lieber said after the monthly board meeting. “But we’re going to initiate the public process, and it will happen, in all probability, sometime later in the year.”
The MTA needs time to complete required public hearings and get board approval before raising fares. This delay gives riders a few extra months of the current $2.90 base fare before the expected increase to $3.00.
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Since 2010, the MTA has raised fares by about 4% every two years, with only 2021 skipped due to the pandemic. The last increase came in August 2023, when the base fare rose from $2.75 to $2.90, express buses jumped to $7, and weekly unlimited MetroCards increased to $34.
One reason for the delay is the ongoing switch from MetroCard to OMNY tap-and-go payments. The MTA plans to stop selling MetroCards entirely by December 31, 2025.
“We’re thinking of eliminating the complexity of asking riders to change how much they pay at the same time it’s asking them to change how they pay,” Lieber explained.
The MTA’s $20 billion budget for 2025 already counts on this fare increase happening. Officials haven’t said if they’ll seek a higher increase to make up for the delay.
Meanwhile, the new congestion pricing program is bringing in money for subway improvements, generating $219 million so far toward its $500 million goal for the year. This funding is dedicated to improvements like new signals, electric buses, and making more stations accessible.
The MTA also has a separate $68.4 billion capital plan for major projects through 2029, including installing 75 miles of modern signals and enhancing stations throughout the city.
