NYC Subway Rides Could Cost $3 by March

NEW YORK CITY — The MTA released a new plan Wednesday that proposed increasing the cost of a subway fare to $3 by March 2017 and increasing it to more than $3 in 2019.

The plan, creatively dubbed the "November Plan," would enact a 4 percent hike for all transit fares and tolls in New York City — which includes the subway, commuter railroads and the city's tunnels and bridges. The plan is similar to one proposed by the MTA in July, the exiting "July Plan," which proposed a 4 percent hike to overall revenue yield for the MTA, not a direct hike on fare prices.

If passed, the fare hikes would be implemented in mid-March, MTA officials said during a Wednesday board meeting.

In 2009 the MTA adopted a long-term plan to increase subway fares every two years in order to avoid unexpected and large fare hikes, according to a series of tweets sent Wednesday.

The MTA insists the new plan will actually be better for riders. Officials said Wednesday that the November Plan would save customers $26 million a year, compared to the July Plan.

An alternate plan, which would increase the price of weekly and monthly metro cards while keeping the $2.75 per-ride fare, was also proposed by the MTA, the Wall Street Journal reported. In that plan the price of a monthly card would increase to $121 and a weekly card would rise to $32, according to the report.

The MTA said the fare hike was needed because the agency is looking at a huge operating deficit come 2020. In July the MTA predicted the 2020 deficit could be $371 million, but if the November Plan is adopted the deficit could be reduced to $319 million, according to materials from the MTA's board meeting.

The fare hike would raise money for investments to the MTA's capital programs such as the Second Avenue Subway and to more routine investments to improve subway stations city-wide and wiring stations for wireless internet, according to meeting materials.

Photo: Patch