NEW YORK—The increase in fares and tolls for much of the public transport in the city will be in effect by March 3, yet the subway system, in particular, remains a bargain.
Single rides are up from $2.50 to $2.75 and any number of rides more than one are up from $2.25 to $2.50.
Also, the $104 monthly (30-day) pass will increase by $8. Yet among international hubs around the world it is still on the low end.
This is both a good and a bad thing. Some systems that charge more—especially in Asia—are known for being modern systems that are clean, quick, and efficient. And many of them of them are expanding their systems. The MTA is expanding the subway system but at a much slower pace.
The fare increases in New York, meanwhile, will only get the MTA, the agency that manages the subway, bus, and rail systems, enough money to pay for rising costs such as energy and labor.
The Epoch Times examined the cost of subways in metropolises around the world for a previous article and also looked at ways the MTA, which is sinking deeper into debt, could potentially find more revenue.
A key difference between New York City’s subway and most other large ones around the world is that it is a flat fare, meaning for the cost of a single ride one can travel as far as they want. Most others—and the MTA’s own railroads—charge by distance.
Other large systems around the world, including the burgeoning ones in Mexico City and São Paulo, are also considered cheap. Mexico City’s subway system is one of the cheapest in the world, with a flat fare of three pesos, or $0.23.
But New York City’s pricing is still on the low end, and compared with the cost of owning a car, or taking a taxi most places, is still a bargain.
The Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road, as well as express buses, could be considered less of a bargain than the subway.
For those who are regular subway riders in New York, the 30-day pass is now worth it if you take 48 or more trips per month. Before it was 50.
The new railway fares start on March 1 and the new subway, bus, and Staten Island Railway fares, as well as the handicapped transport system Access-A-Ride, will go into effect on March 3.
