It’s been about a year and a half since the cost of a monthly MetroCard increased by $8, which means it’s time to start thinking about the details of the next fare hike. (The MTA has vowed to raise its prices every two years, until the city slides into the sea.) According to both the New York Daily News and the New York Post, officials are currently considering two proposed ways of charging more for the privilege of commuting alongside rats, used condoms, and enormous wheels of brie, 24 hours a day (in theory).
According to the tabloids’ “sources,” both options call for the identical price increases on 7-day and 30-day MetroCards. The former will be bumped from $30 to $31, while the latter will go from $112 to $116.50. The proposals differ when it comes to the cost of a single ride, as well as the bonus riders get when they load more money onto their (non-weekly or monthly) MetroCards. Under the first plan, the per-ride price will remain $2.50, but the current 5 percent bonus will be cut. Under the second plan, the single fare will become $2.75, but the bonus will be boosted to 11 percent.
The two packages are effectively the same: both would result in a 4 percent overall increase in MetroCard costs. But which sounds better to the people? (Probably the one where the single ride stays at $2.50, since those bonuses are hard to keep track of, anyway.) The MTA board will likely vote on the issue in December, after public hearings have been held, and the fare hike is expected to happen in March. Enjoy that extra $4.50 a month while you still can!
