MTA Price Increase Likely Due to Ridership Drop

BoroPark 24 Staff

According to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the MTA will have to increase subway and bus trip fares by 79 cents to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels.

A new report quoted by the Comptroller delineated that ridership is only at 60% of pre-pandemic levels. The revenue from the present fares is only expected to cover 32% of the MTA's operating budget by 2026 instead of the 44% it reached before COVID forced severe service cuts and fare hikes.

"No one wants to see steep fare hikes or service cuts. However, it is unclear how the MTA will avoid these outcomes unless it lays out additional options," DeNapoli said, according to the New York Post.

Currently, the subway and bus fare is $2.75. That price would rise to $3.54 by 2026, according to the Comptroller.

But MTA's CEO, Janno Lieber, has suggested that increasing fares might actually deter ridership, further reducing fare revenue.

Still, DiNapoli seems to be committed to this new course of action.