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What you need to know
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The MTA proposes a toll increase of 8%, double the usual percentage increase, to allocate more money to the capital plan.
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A 4% hike is also offered for commuter buses and express buses.
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For the metro, two options are available to you: keep the same base fare for the metro and remove MetroCard bonuses or increase base fare by 4%
The MTA plans to propose a toll increase of 8%, double the usual percentage, as well as a 4% increase for commuter buses and express buses, while maintaining the same basic fare for the subway and removing the MetroCard bonus, indicated sources close to the News 4 packages.
The agency plans to present its proposals at a board meeting Thursday.
According to sources, the toll increase of 8% is double the usual increase to channel even more money into the capital plan. One source described this plan as the "MTA congestion pricing version". If the board does not approve of this, there is an option for a 4% increase, the sources said.
In another effort to save money, the cash-strapped agency wants to delay by one year the planned launch of Select Bus Service on 96th Street in Manhattan.
The subway issue, meanwhile, could take one of two ways, according to sources. Option 1: Keep the base fare at $ 2.75 and remove MetroCard premiums or increase the base fare by 4%.
At the July Board meeting, officials had planned to increase their rates twice over the next three years, including a 4% increase in 2019 and a second 4% increase in 2021.
The biannual increases would be the sixth and seventh increases since 2009, when metro and base bus fares went from $ 2 to $ 2.25. Future increases are also part of the long-overdue increases every two years.
MTA officials said in July that even with the expected increases, large deficits were expected over the next few years. Officials blamed this budget gap for a second consecutive year of declining user numbers, as well as lower than expected real estate revenues.
The proposed hikes occur a little over a year after the Cuomo government declared the state of emergency for the subways. MTA President Joe Lhota, who announced his immediate resignation last week, had developed a metro action plan to improve service, but had been the subject of serious criticism in recent months over the infrastructure, communication and frequent delays.
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