In a final vote of 12–1, the MTA board approved a series of service cuts and fare hikes in order to stave off a growing budget gap. For riders, this means subway and bus rides in the city will go up to $2.50 from $2. Monthly MetroCards will go up from $81 to $103. On bridges and tunnels where there are already tolls, EZ-Pass charges will go from $4.15 to $5.26, and cash charges will go from $5 to $6.50. Fares on most commuter rails will go up between 20 and 30 percent. The East Village Idiot has a great walk-through of most of the issues behind this. Please, as usual, let us know what you think in the comments. We know you’ll be raving on the subway platform, as per usual, so you might as well.
M.T.A. Increases Fares and Cuts Services [City Room/NYT]
