The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board approved several proposals and changes to fares, tolls and ticketing policies, which will take effect in January 2026. These changes include pricing. There will be an increase in fares for subways and local buses, rising from $2.90 to $3. The cost of all tools, including E-ZPass, will increase by 7.5%. Metro-North fares will also increase by 25 cents for both peak and off-peak city tickets. The reduced fare will go from $1.45 to $1.50. The express bus base fare will increase from $7 to $7.25 and the reduced fare will increase from $3.50 to $3.60. In addition, the fee for a new OMNY card will increase to $2 when the MetroCard is no longer accepted for fare payment later in 2026. OMNY cards are more durable and last for up to five years.
Express buses travel greater distances than local buses and use the highway network to connect neighborhoods lacking transit access to Manhattan. New York City Transit provides coach buses and charges a higher fare than local buses. How is this going to affect everyone? Why is this happening suddenly? Well, MTA fares generally increase every two years. While the MTA insists that these increases are reasonable and necessary to sustain the transit system, many working-class New Yorkers find that they are negatively affecting them. Data from the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) notes that 20% of New Yorkers face hardships in transit affordability. These changes are expected to raise $350 million per year in addition to revenue from the transit authority. Nevertheless, considering the topic of affordability of living in the city, these changes raise concern for many New Yorkers.
Looking back, New York’s MTA was only $1.50 in the 90s, which is crazy to think about. Seeing the price double within 30 years does show how expensive our world has become, even when you take inflation into account. It’s hard to believe. On the other hand, in 1904, the subway fare of five cents was equivalent to $1.63 in 2022 dollars, which represented a much larger share of the average New York’s salary than today’s fare does. So the price increases have cut both ways at different points in NYC history.
As a native New Yorker and college student who uses the subway daily, I am not pleased with the most recent fare increases. New York City is already an expensive place to live, so it’s almost impossible to live a day in the city without spending a single penny. While some may recognize the increase as a practical move to maintain and improve an aging transit system, many others will see it as yet another burden added to the already staggering cost of living in the city. For commuters that rely on public transportation daily — especially lower-income and working-class New Yorkers — each fare hike feels like a direct hit to the cost of living and accessibility. Even a slight increase can affect costs over weeks and months, particularly when wages and rent rise due to inflation. The fare hike also deepens the broader debate about what it means to live affordably in New York City: If essential services like public transit become too costly, the city risks becoming unaffordable.
Even a seemingly slight increase adds up quickly over weeks and months, particularly when all the other costs New Yorkers face are also rising. The fare hike also deepens the broader debate about what it means to live affordably in New York City. If essential services like public transit become too costly, the city risks alienating the very people who keep it running. Ultimately, the MTA’s decision reignites a long-standing tension between maintaining infrastructure and preserving economic equity for everyday riders.
Bridgette Leahy, FCRH ’27, is a journalism major from Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
