Subway, Bus Fares Will Increase To $3, MTA Says

NEW YORK CITY — Fares for subways and buses will increase to $3 following a vote from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders on Tuesday morning.

The vote, which passed with zero nays and two abstentions, will raise bus and subway fares up 10 cents from the previous $2.90 fare. The fare change will take effect in early January 2026.

The price hike also raises tolls to $7.46 to cross tunnels and bridges. Additionally, LIRR and some Metro-North riders would see a 4.4 percent fare increase.

For reduced fare riders, the fare will increase from $1.45 to $1.50. The agency will also extend the validity of LIRR and Metro-North one-way tickets until 4 a.m.

"Approving this increase cannot be the end of our work as board members, we must continue, as this board has done so for many years, to pursue strategies to expand equity, address affordability, and ensure that no rider feels excluded from our system because of costs," MTA Board Member Melva M. Miller said.

This plan is based on feedback and public comments from commuters, MTA officials said.

As part of its response to this feedback, the MTA also lowered the OMNY weekly fare cap from $36 to $35, and reduced-fare customers would pay no more than $17.50 in a week.

"It's always painful to do fare increases, but I think this one is really structured in a way that responds to what we heard from the riders through the outreach process and preserves affordability, which is something that we're very proud of in the transit system," Janno Lieber, the CEO of the MTA, said.

The fare increase is timed to take effect with the system-wide tap-and-go OMNY card launch, after the iconic yellow MetroCard is officially phased out in December 2025.

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.