1 in 5 NYC transit riders say they cant afford fares as MTA plans another hike
One in five New York City transit riders say they can’t afford the $3 subway and bus fare according to a new study, which comes as the MTA is planning to raise fares again in a few months.The transit agency plans to jack up fares in March 2027 as part of a push to boost fare and toll revenue by 4%.A matching increase in the $3 fare would bring it to $3.12 — though the agency hasn’t proposed a specific new subway and bus fare, and the hike still needs board approval.News of the possible hike comes as a new survey by the Community Service Society, an anti-poverty nonprofit, shows that some 20% of riders say they can’t afford the fare.
Also, nearly 3 in 10 say that, despite their struggles to pay, they earn too much to qualify for the city’s half-price Fair Fares program, the report said.Community Service Society suggested expanding eligibility for the city-funded Fair Fares program from 200% of the federal poverty level to 300%.State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office has also said the MTA could simply rein in costs to keep its spending closer to its operating revenue.The budget watchdog in a report released Oct.22 warned the agency is facing a nearly $900 million budget hole by 2030 — even after factoring in two planned fare hikes in 2027 and 2029.“While these budget pressures are real, measures to address them are at least partly in the control of the Authority,” the report said, urging the MTA to crack down on fare evasion and keep spending in check — including overtime, which hit a record of nearly $1.5 billion last year and was on pace to surpass that total by September, according to recent board documents.The report also urged the agency to “continue to identify cost efficiencies in the discretionary portion of the budget over which it has the most control.”Meanwhile, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Gov.
Kathy Hochul are looking to Washington for a handout amid the Democratic takeover of both chambers of Congress.“Elections swing on...