Subway Fares Are Going Up By 25 Cents ... At Some Point

Plus: The first new LIRR station in 50 years [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] Subway Fares Are Going Up By 25 Cents ... At Some Point Plus: Sex toy company Dame got the go-ahead to advertise on the subway. The MTA is testing out wider turnstiles designed for wheelchairs and strollers. And the LIRR is opening a new station near the Islanders' arena. By James Ramsay --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [the triple-cantilevered BQE in Brooklyn Heights] Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock About 24 hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul [gleefully announced]( on Tuesday that an influx of federal funding means the MTA "will not have to raise the fares or have any service cuts," the transit agency clarified at its Wednesday board meeting that as soon as mid-2022, fares could go up. But speaking to a group of business leaders on Thursday morning, Hochul doubled down on her intent to freeze fare and toll increases until 2023. "Don’t worry, Janno, I’ll find the money somewhere," Hochul said, referring to MTA interim chair Janno Lieber. At issue is the fact that even if ridership returns to 85% of what it was pre-pandemic, the transit agency still estimates a loss of $1 billion a year in fare revenue. The MTA’s deputy financial officer yesterday presented the board with several options for raising enough revenue to balance the budget after the federal funds run out. It includes raising fares next year, and again in 2023 and 2025 at the typical rate of 4%. This could put a single subway ride at about $3 by 2025. Subway and bus fare hikes last occurred in April of 2019, when weekly and monthly MetroCard fares went up while the base fare of $2.75 per ride remained steady. While a general fare hike could take place as soon as six months from now, the MTA is simultaneously seeking ways to accommodate — and incentivize — lower-income riders. Several MTA board members have been discussing a new fare structure that would include possibly capping fares, which is akin to giving a rider an unlimited card after they've purchased a certain number of single rides. This would benefit people who can’t pay the full cost of an unlimited card up front. The agency has also been trying to enroll more people in the Fair Fares program, which provides half-priced MetroCards to New Yorkers at or below the federal poverty line. Though a recent [outreach campaign]( the program's enrollment over 250,000 for the first time ever, still only about 30% of eligible New Yorkers are getting Fair Fares cards. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Sex Toy Company Dame Can Resume Advertising On The Subway [a Dame sex toy ad on the subway] Courtesy of Dame Williamsburg-based sex toy company Dame, which focuses on products for women's sexual pleasure, will continue advertising on the subway after settling a discrimination lawsuit with the MTA. Back in 2019, Dame sued the transit agency for blocking one of its ad campaigns while continuing to allow suggestive ads for dating apps and male sexual health products. "The MTA was disproportionately applying their anti sexually-oriented business clause to women’s pleasure advertisements, which is unconstitutional," said Dame CEO Alexandra Fine. "They allowed erectile dysfunction advertisements to run while denying us, making them a social and economic gate-keeper on who is entitled to pleasure." The MTA clarified that as part of the settlement, the Dame ads appearing on subways now through January will not "specifically depict or refer to its products." Rather, the ads will contain "abstract graphics" alluding to female pleasure. — [Reporting by Ben Yakas]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's What Else Is Happening While acknowledging that crime on the subways is at historic lows, the MTA is still pushing to get more cops on trains and platforms. A recent MTA survey found that 90% of people who stopped riding the subway during the pandemic consider harassment and security a factor in whether they'll return. "Crime is at a 25-year low [in the subway]," said the MTA's acting chair Janno Lieber, who then conceded that "I am not going to argue with my riders ... If they feel vulnerable on the subway platform they’re entitled to attention." ([NY Daily News]( Five subway stations are testing out wider turnstiles designed to better accommodate a wheelchair user or a person with a stroller. The Southern Boulevard station in the Bronx, Flushing Avenue and Atlantic Avenue stations in Brooklyn, and Penn Station and Bowling Green in Manhattan are the first of 200 subway stations set to get these "wide-aisle" turnstiles over the next several years. The MTA is also installing OMNY payment readers at hundreds of emergency gates across the system. ([New York Post]( The Long Island Rail Road is opening its first new station in 50 years on Saturday. The new Elmont station, which only has an eastbound platform for now, is located right next to the new UBS Arena, where the Islanders hockey team plays. People heading back towards the city will need to get a train at the nearby Belmont station until the Elmont stations' westbound platform opens next summer. ([ABC 7]( PATH trains are set to get an OMNY-esque tap payment system in 2023. If the Port Authority's board approves the plan today, all 13 PATH stations will get tap-and-go payment readers installed in 2023. The current SmarkLink card system would then be phased out in 2024. ([AM New York]( The eastern end of Chinatown in Manhattan is getting a $20 million facelift, complete with new bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Among the specific locations due for a renovation is the chaotic intersection of Eldridge, Division, and Forsyth Streets, just east of the Manhattan Bridge. Chinatown BID leader Wellington Chen said that new bike lanes and walkways, combined with street furniture and permanent set-ups for fruit vendors, will inject hope into the beleaguered neighborhood. ([Gothamist]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- And Finally: An Appreciation Of The Wall Street Station On The 2, 3 Line [a tweeted image of the Wall Street 2,3 station]( [Jason Diamond/Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list