$3 subway tickets and other price hikes could be coming to NY

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: People pass through a turnstile at the 72nd Street subway station on Broadway on April 29, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - The first of three hearings regarding a price hike for MTA fares is tonight, August 19.

$3 subway tickets next year?

What we know:

The MTA has delayed the possible fare increase to January 2026 to coincide with the full implementation of tap-and-go on the subways and buses.

This system, known as OMNY, requires passengers to tap a contactless credit or debit card, smart device or OMNY card on the reader by the entrance to gain entry. The MTA is planning to completely phase out all other forms of payment besides OMNY by next year.

By the numbers:

The current standard fare of $2.90 for subways, local buses and Access-A-Ride would increase by ten cents; the reduced fare would only rise five, from $1.45 to $1.50.

Proposed price changes for other New York City fares can be found here:

• The express bus fare would rise from $7 to $7.25, and the reduced fare from $3.50 to $3.60.
• The 7-day rolling fare cap would become permanent. Base-fare customers would not pay more than $36 in one week, and reduced-fare customers would not pay more than $18 in one week.
• Single-ride tickets purchased at subway vending machines would increase from $3.25 to $3.50.
• The fee to purchase a new OMNY card would increase to $2.
• No changes are proposed to discount policies for seniors, people with disabilities, students and the Paratransit Zero Fare.

Changes in LIRR, Metro-North fares

The price of both monthly and weekly tickets would increase by up to 4.5 percent across both railroads – all other ticket types would increase by 8 percent.

The surcharge for tickets purchased while on the train would increase by $2. There would also be an equivalent surcharge for tickets purchased onboard using the app.

Other notable changes

Dig deeper:

Passengers who purchase train tickets while riding the train too many times will be subject to a surcharge, but only after receiving warnings.

All one-way mobile tickets will be activated upon purchase, and will expire after four hours – paper tickets will also expire after the same amount of time.

Round-trip tickets will be replaced with "Day Passes." These Day Passes would be valid from the day of purchase until 4 a.m. the following day, and would cost ten percent less than two one-way peak tickets on a weekday.

Public hearings regarding the changes

What you can do:

Individuals can attend public hearings regarding these price changes either in person or remotely via Zoom.

All public hearings will be held in person at the New York City Transit Authority at 130 Livingston Street in Brooklyn. People can also register to provide comments, questions or concerns about the changes.