MTA Final Fare Hikes Approved

Nobody likes fare hikes. I went to a public hearing and listened as MTA board members heard hours upon hours of complaints that ranged from the very well-reasoned to the rambling and nonsensical. But we all knew that some kind of hike was coming. So here it is:

Pay-per-ride base fare: (now) $2, (Mar. 2) $2
Pay-per-ride bonus: (now) 20% with a >$10 purchase, (Mar. 2) 15% with a >$7 purchase
7-day card: (now) $24, (Mar. 2) $25
30-day card: (now) $76, (Mar. 2) $81

Changing the pay-per-ride bonus structure is just annoying. It slowly compiles loose change on cards--a $10 metrocard will now contain $11.50 worth of credit, so after 5 rides you'll have $1.50 leftover instead of a sixth full ride. The MTA claims this is to discourage people from throwing away metrocards, but it may also add up to potentially thousands of dollars of unclaimed fares going to the MTA if people routinely throw out cards with a dime or a quarter on them. Not altogether an unprecedented idea: the London "Oystercard" fare system, for example, is distance-based and so their heavier-duty farecards--which require a 3-pound deposit--routinely have insufficient amounts left on them and must be refilled. I refill my metrocards anyway. Besides, I think I'm also the only person in New York who actually uses the "tap-and-go" system on the 4/5/6 trains.

In any event, this raises the effective cost-per-ride from $1.67 after bonuses to $1.74. Here's a helpful table from the New York Times about the new fare structure.

























The Times also has said that whatever one's metrocard habits are (unlimited vs. pay-per-ride) before the hike, there is no mathematical reason to change them afterwards.