Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered good news for subway and bus riders: no fare hikes for the immediate future and no service cuts for at least two years. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.
What to Know
- New York City’s commuters caught a massive break Monday: no fare hikes for the MTA.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the MTA is going to use a portion of the President Joe Biden's historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill to make it happen.
- The influx of federal dollars will do more than keep subway rides at $2.75. Riders can expect service to stay the same for the next two years.
New York City’s commuters caught a massive break Monday: no fare hikes for the MTA.
The development impacts all rail, bus and subway riders in a big way.
"We anticipate that there'll be no fare hikes for the MTA," said Gov. Kathy Hochul. "So therefore, those of you who are commuters on the MTA and have been anxious about how much this is going to go up, especially in this era of inflation. I'm really excited to say that we will not have to raise the fairs or have any service cuts."
Hochul credited a bipartisan group of lawmakers in DC for not raising fees -- for now.
Hochul said that the MTA is going to use a portion of the President Joe Biden's historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill to make it happen.
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Area commuters approve of the latest transportation-related news.
News
"So many people are still struggling so it will be really nice to help a lot of people who ride the subway everyday," Shurla Tyler, a New Yorker, said.
The influx of federal dollars will do more than keep subway rides at $2.75. Riders can expect service to stay the same for the next two years.
"The service cuts that were planned for 2023 and 2024 are now off the table for MTA commuters," Hochul said.
Acting Chair and CEO of the MTA Janno Lieber said that his agency is making these movements in an attempt to encourage people to ride.
“Bottom line is we’re not going to raise the fare in the near term and we’re not going to be cutting service, and we want our riders back," Lieber said.
However, he refused to say if a fare hike is on the horizon.
“This is not the moment to speculate," Lieber said.
Amid the news, New Yorkers still called for more police in the subway system as straphangers continue to be on edge due to the recent subway violence.
