Official details of the impending fare and toll hikes were released Monday along with information on meetings for the public to weigh in face-to-face with MTA brass.
The options being considered, which were reported last week, would raise fares to $2.75, but offer a bigger, 11% bonus for every $5.50 put on a MetroCard or keep fares flat at $2.50 and nix the bonus, currently 5% for every $5 spent.
The current bonus means riders effectively pay $2.38 a ride, while the two options would make it $2.48 and $2.50 respectively. The $1 fee for new MetroCards will stay in place, according to the MTA.
Under both plans, unlimited-ride MetroCards will increase to $116.50 from $112 for a 30-day pass and $31 from $30 for a weeklong pass.
Officials said the MTA can keep its promise of raising fares every two years by 4%, close to the rate of inflation.
“We have cut more than $1 billion from our ongoing expenses, but a modest fare and toll increase is necessary to balance our budget against the increased costs of providing the bus, subway, railroad and paratransit service that is the backbone of the region’s mobility and economic growth,” MTA chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast said in a statement.
For commuter rails, where fare price depends on distance, there could be an increase between 2.2% and 6.1% on rides to and from LIRR stations west of Jamaica; Manhattan on Metro-North trains east of the Hudson River; and Hoboken and Secaucus Junction in New Jersey on Metro-North trains west of the river. Fare hikes on 80% of all Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trips would be less than 4.25%.
Motorists, meanwhile, could pay more to cross bridges. In one proposal, truck drivers with E-ZPass would get a 4% increase or a 6.4% to 8% increase for cash payments; car drivers would fork over 6.7% or 10% more if paying with cash. The second proposal would keep tolls flat for car drivers paying cash, but increase tolls for two-axle trucks with E-ZPass by 12% or 77 cents more at major crossings.
Manhattan
Dec. 1, Baruch College, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Mason Hall, 17 Lexington Ave. at 23rd Street, New York, NY. Registration open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., hearing begins at 5 p.m.
The Bronx
Dec. 1, Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street. Registration open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., hearing begins at 5 p.m.
Queens
Dec. 3, The Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center at York College, Main Stage Theater, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. Registration open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., hearing begins at 6 p.m.
Staten Island
Dec. 10, College of Staten Island, Center for the Arts, Springer Concert Hall, 2800 Victory Blvd. Registration open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., hearing begins at 6 p.m.
Brooklyn
Dec. 11, Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Rd., near the junction of Nostrand Avenue and Avenue H. Registration open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., hearing begins at 6 p.m.?
