MTA Fare Hikes: 5 Things You May Not Know

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fare hikes have arrived, with prices to cross bridges and tunnels and for tickets on MetroNorth and LIRR having gone into effect Friday morning and increases to subway, buses and Access-a-Ride coming Sunday, March 3.

Most people know that the base fare for subways and buses will rise from $2.25 to $2.50 for daily rides and from $104 to $112 for a 30-day card.

But here are five things you may not know:

1. New card fee. There will be a $1 fee for each new MetroCard you buy, so the MTA suggests you refill your current card as long as you can. If the card is damaged you can turn it in for a new card at no charge. The rule doesn't apply to out-of-system merchants, the EasyPayXpress program or the pre-tax benefit program.

2. Unlimited card expiration. If your 30-day card is running out soon, you can buy another one at the $104 fare through Saturday and then activate it anytime before Monday, March 11. After that you can still activate the card but it will only be good through April 9.

3. Reduced-fare cards. Half-price cards for senior citizens, the disabled and some public school students goes up from $1.10 to $1.25. Thirty-day cards rise from $52 to $56. On express buses fares rise from $2.75 to $3.

4. Pay-Per-Ride bonus. The extra cash you get when putting money on your pay-per-ride MetroCard is dropping from 7 percent to to 5 percent. 

5. Other increases. Fares are also going up on express buses (from $5.50 to $6), tolls (from $6.50 to $7.50 or $4.80 to $5.33 with E-Z Pass) and between 8.2 and 9.3 percent on LIRR and Metro-North tickets, depending on the distance traveled.

For more information on the fare increases, visit the MTA's website.