Hearings for MTA Rate Hikes to Be Held in December

By Staff
Nov. 30, 2016: On Wednesday, November 16, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced proposals for increases to fares and tolls for each MTA service. These increases would affect fares on Metro-North Railroad, the Long Island Rail Road, and New York City subways and buses, as well as tolls on bridges and tunnels within its service area.
The proposals will be discussed in eight public hearings in December spread throughout the MTA region, including one in Westchester.
Under the proposal for Metro-North, the fares for a monthly pass for commuters riding the Harlem Line to Grand Central Terminal who live in zone 3, which includes the Bronxville station as well as the Mount Vernon West, Fleetwood, Tuckahoe, and Crestwood stations, would increase from the current $231 to $239. The one-way peak fare would rise from the current $10.50 to $11.00, and the one-way off-peak fare would rise from $7.75 to $8.25.
The announcement on the MTA website says, "The MTA's continued discipline in keeping costs down has resulted in the lowest increase since 2009, when the MTA committed to a biennial schedule to keep adjustments as small and predictable as possible. Just over half of the agency's $15.6 billion annual operating budget comes from fares and tolls."
The announcement says that "the proposals will be the subject of eight public hearings across the MTA region in December. The MTA Board will review public input before a final proposal is selected and voted on by the full Board in January. The new fares and tolls will take effect on March 19, 2017."
The public hearing in Westchester County will be on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, at 5:00 pm at the New York Power Authority building, Jaguar Room, 123 Main Street (enter on Hamilton Avenue), in White Plains.
Members of the public can register to speak in advance by calling 646-252-6777 between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm, and the hearing will start at 5:00 pm. The MTA asks that speakers limit their remarks to three minutes. Comments can also be submitted by email at www.mta.info or by letter to MTA Government Affairs, 20th Floor, 2 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.
Click here for the page on the MTA website with more details about the increases, including charts showing increases in fares in addition to the monthly and one-way fares mentioned above.







