Subway Fare To Stay Flat But MetroCard Bonus To Disappear: Report

NEW YORK — Bye bye, bonus. The MTA plans to keep the base subway and bus fare flat but nix the bonus for MetroCards in a bid to raise revenue, according to a new report.

After taking an extra month to weigh alternative ideas, the MTA Board will move forward with one of its initial plans: maintaining the $2.75 base fare but eliminating the 5 percent bonus for buying rides in bulk, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

It's reportedly uncertain how the prices of weekly and monthly unlimited MetroCards, which currently cost $32 and $121, will be affected. But the original proposal unveiled in November would raise them to $33 and $127, respectively.

The board is expected to vote on a fare hike plan at its Wednesday meeting.

The beleaguered transit agency committed to hiking fares and tolls every two years in 2009. But this year's increases have met resistance from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others as straphangers have continued to struggle on the rails.

The board was supposed to vote on fare hikes in January. But it instead postponed the vote for another month after Cuomo publicly questioned whether the hikes were necessary.

An MTA official did not confirm or deny the Daily News's report, which was attributed to "agency sources."

"Matters related to fares and tolls will be discussed at Wednesday's board meeting," Max Young, the MTA's chief external affairs officer, said in a statement.

The MTA cut the bonus for buying at least two MetroCard fares from 11 percent to 5 percent when it last increased prices in 2017.

Maintaining the base price will also spare disabled riders from seeing the paratransit fare increase from $2.75 to $3, according to the Daily News.

Read the full New York Daily News report here.