On August 20, fare increases went into effect across MTA subways, buses, and commuter railroads. Toll increases on bridges and tunnels went into effect on August 6.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we agreed to implement fare increases every two years. Thanks to funding from Gov. Kathy Hochul, we were able to put off the 2021 scheduled fare increase.
Now, with ridership growing, we're returning to the regular fare increases that allow us to maintain current service levels and even increase service frequency.
With additional funding from New York State, we are able to keep the fare increase to 4%, rather than 5.5%. The MTA is always working to cut costs to reduce operating expenses and keep fares affordable for customers.
Changes to New York City Transit fares
- The base fare for subway, local buses and paratransit increased 15 cents, from $2.75 to $2.90.
- The 7-Day Unlimited Ride pass increased from $33 to $34, and the 30-Day Unlimited Ride pass increased from $127 to $132.
- If you purchased a 7-Day or 30-Day Unlimited Ride pass at the current fare, you had to begin using it by August 27 to get the full days of unlimited rides. If you began your pass after August 27, you will need to request a pro-rated refund for the remaining days after September 2 for a 7-Day pass or September 25 for a 30-Day pass. Unused passes will be refunded at the full purchase price.
- To request a refund, you must submit the MetroCard in question to MTA New York City Transit by using either a prepaid business reply envelope, available upon request at any subway station, or mailing the card with a completed claim form to MetroCard Customer Claims, 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-9625.
- The reduced fare for eligible customers remains half of the base fare. It increased from $1.35 to $1.45.
- The Express Bus base fare increased from $6.75 to $7, and the 7-Day Unlimited Express Bus Plus pass increased from $62 to $64.
- Since Express Buses travel longer distances than local buses and use highways, New York City Transit provides coach buses and charges a higher fare than on local buses.
Changes to LIRR and Metro-North fares
- Monthly and Weekly tickets increased by up to 4.5% across both railroads.
- Thanks to the additional 10% discount implemented in March 2022, monthly fares remain lower than they were pre-COVID.
- Recognizing the high fares in the farthest railroad zones, Monthly ticket fares do not exceed $500.
- Monthly tickets at the new fare went on sale on August 25 for September. Weekly tickets at the new fare went on sale on August 23 for the week of August 26-September 1.
- The discount for traveling off-peak has been standardized to 26% across both railroads. (Until now, Metro-North’s discount was 25% and LIRR’s 27.5%.)
- This leads to slightly higher increases of 6-7% on LIRR Off-Peak tickets and slightly lower increases of 2-3% on Metro-North Off-Peak tickets.
- There is no fare increase for any ticket type on the Metro-North Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines.
- All other ticket types increased by as much as 10%; however, any increase greater than 6% has been held to a maximum increase of $0.50 per trip.
- LIRR and Metro-North continue to offer UniTicket fares to travel on both commuter rail and connecting bus and ferry services. Changes in those fares are based in part on changes to weekly and monthly transit fares. One-way tickets for MTA-managed connecting services have also changed.
- Policies regarding the calculation of onboard fares and refunds remain unchanged.
- All tickets purchased at the old fare will continue to be valid through their stated expiration dates.
Changes to NYCT, LIRR, and Metro-North fare pilots
The MTA has implemented new fare pilots and modified a handful of existing pilots that make taking mass transit more affordable and more flexible.
A more flexible fare capping pilot with OMNY
OMNY customers continue to get the best weekly fare. Your first tap starts a new 7-day cap. If you spend $34 (or $17 for Reduced-Fare customers) within a seven-day period, you ride free for the rest of that week. If you spend less, you only pay for the rides you take. The cap resets every seven days. Group trips, express bus taps, and transfers do not count toward the weekly cap.
More CityTicket pilot options
CityTicket continues to offer customers a $5 flat-fare ticket to travel within New York City limits during all off-peak hours. MTA has also introduced a Peak CityTicket for travel during weekday peak hours for $7.
MTA has also introduced a special ticket for customers traveling to Far Rockaway on the LIRR at the same price as the typical CityTicket.
Atlantic Ticket and 20-Trip Peak ticket pilots discontinued
As the MTA adopts new CityTicket pilots, and in the interest of standardizing and simplifying commuter railroad fares, both the $5 One-Way Atlantic Ticket and $60 Weekly Atlantic Ticket have been discontinued.
The 20-Trip Peak ticket, introduced in 2022 to encourage infrequent customers to commute more regularly, has been discontinued as post-COVID travel patterns continue to return to normal.
Changes to tolls
- The MTA has increased toll rates 6% for customers using an E-ZPass issued by the New York Customer Service Center, which serves MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the New York State Thruway Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
- Toll rates have increased 10% for customers paying with an out-of-state E-ZPass or who choose to be tolled by mail.
- The existing toll discount programs for Rockaways/Broad Channel and Staten Island residents using the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, respectively, remain in effect.