NYC Subway Fares To Jump On Dec. 30th

The MTA has announced an expected, but fairly hefty increase in its unlimited ride cards, effective December 30th.

MTA board members approved a whopping fare hike this morning with a 12 to 2 vote -- sending the monthly MetroCard to $104 from $89 and increasing the single ride from $2.25 to $2.50 starting Dec. 30. The hike is the third in three years and comes as the MTA made massive service cuts this past June. "What's next? A surcharge for scheduled information or directions to the on-board bathroom?" said Bill Henderson, an MTA watchdog. The hike will also include reducing the bonus on the pay-per-ride cards from 15 to seven percent, and increase the amount riders need to shell out for that bonus by $2. Also, the one- and 14- day unlimited MetroCards will be eliminated, a $1 surcharge will be applied every time a rider doesn't refill an old MetroCard, and commuter railroad fares will increase by as much as 11 percent.

I no longer ride the subway often enough to warrant a monthly pass, but that $1 surcharge for new cards will help me hang on to all those cards with 25 cents left on them. Back when wearing onions on our belt was the fashion, MTA cards only came in exact multiples of the cost of a single ride.