MTA will not increase Metro, bus and train fares in 2021, but tolls will | The State
Unprecedented closure of the Metro since May 6, every morning
Photo:
Andrés Correa Guatarasma / Courtesy
MTA will not raise fares on buses, railways and the Subway this year in New York, despite the immense deficit it faces, aggravated by months without payment during the pandemic and the low traffic that still persists due to the virus and insecurity.
What can advance this year is a increase in tolls, but advocates say Resident discounts must continue for drivers on Rockaways and Staten Island.
The MTA board will vote on the issue on Thursday, but yesterday official sources pointed out that the planned increases, which have occurred every two years since 2009, they won’t happen in 2021.
MTA President Pat Foye confirmed last night that planned fare increases for Metro, buses and rail will be postponed.
The 4% increases were discussed in public hearings in December. But community leaders and elected officials spoke out immediately against any increase, amidst the unemployment crisis and commercial paralysis that the city is experiencing.
The number of passengers has dropped dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic. It has recovered and at the moment it is approximately 30% of what it was in March, at the beginning of the confinement, he stressed Pix11.
The number of bus users has recovered by more than half, after months of free service to isolate drivers and prevent infections.
LIRR and Metro-North rates would also remain stable, according to sources. Changes have been made to schedules and there could be further decreases, given low passenger demand.
In December, the deficit Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which governs the New York Subway and other suburban systems, approved its 2021 budget, noting that the final situation will largely depend on the support they receive from the federal government.
The MTA was only able to balance the budget by borrowing from the federal reserve. Federal aid money would simply balance out the year 2021 and not address a long-term plan, with a deficit of $ 8 billion expected through 2024.
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