Drivers heading into New York City for work got a small but unpleasant surprise as they crossed the bridges and tunnels Monday morning, after rate hikes went into effect over the weekend.
So how much does it now cost to drive into the city? E-ZPass tolls on bridges and tunnels increased from $6.55 to $6.94 as of Sunday, following a unanimous approval of toll increases by the MTA in July. It represents a 6% increase for drivers with an E-ZPass -- while those who don't have one will see a 10% increase.
Some of the bridges and tunnels impacted include the Queens Midtown Tunnel, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the RFK Bridge, Throggs Neck Bridge and Whitestone Bridge. The MTA said that "modest and predictable fare and toll increases help keep up with inflation, avert radical fare and toll fluctuation."
The increase comes two weeks before the mass transit fare increases being implemented on Aug. 20, when subway and bus rides will go up to $2.90, a 15-cent bump. A single-ride ticket will cost $3.25, while an unlimited ticket would cost $132 a month, up $5 from the current price. And that's all ahead of congestion pricing, which is on track to be implemented in Spring 2024, which would add another expense for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
The new fares mark the first time that commuters have seen a price hike in the nation's largest mass transit system since before the pandemic. The MTA raised fares in 2019, but only on weekly and monthly MetroCards. The "base" subway fare was not raised at that time, nor was it raised in 2017, but most commuters don't pay the single-rise base fare anyway, so most experienced the increase four years ago.
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Commuter rail fares would increase as well, going up from $250 per month to $260 for LIRR and Metro-North riders. However, the MTA recently announced a fare freeze for Metro-North riders west of the Hudson River. That freeze is set to go before the transit authority's board for approval.
The fare increase comes weeks after the MTA said it would begin its fare free bus pilot on five routes -- one in each borough -- by late September. To see what lines would be made free, click here.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said that state law will help guide the review board's decisions, saying that it "complies with the state law on revenue with as low a toll as possible."
