It’s just not fare — and New Yorkers know it.
As of Sunday, the MTA officially bumped the subway fare to a flat $3 per ride, up from $2.90, and riders across the city are reacting the way you’d expect: frustration, disbelief, and a whole lot of eye-rolling. After all, when service doesn’t improve, paying more feels less like progress and more like punishment.
“I just know it’s gonna add up,” said Mayan Crampton, 23, who commutes into Manhattan from Hoboken. “I don’t get paid enough for this. The hike is crazy.”
Hard to argue with that — especially when every swipe now feels like another reminder that New York is never done raising prices.
Others questioned whether the MTA really needs more money or just needs to manage what it already has. Seana Steele, 41, didn’t mince words, saying the agency should focus on improving service instead of squeezing riders for even a dime more.
“The MTA constantly misappropriates funds,” Steele said. “Instead of installing new turnstile[s], they could actually improve the service.”
A radical idea, apparently.
The frustration is compounded by the MTA’s relentless focus on stopping fare jumpers — who cost the system more than $400 million in lost fares last year — while everyday riders deal with delays, overcrowding, and aging infrastructure.
“If rides were more affordable and available to everyone, that wouldn’t be an issue,” Steele added, noting that past fare hikes could have seriously affected her during tougher financial times.
The increase also comes amid uncertainty about the future of the transit system. Newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani has promised to make city buses completely free — a plan with an estimated $700 million price tag, which he says would be paid for by raising taxes on corporations and high-earning individuals. New Yorkers have heard big promises before, of course.
Some state leaders say enough is enough. Adem Bunkeddeko, a candidate for New York State Comptroller, argued riders deserve relief, not another bill.
“Let’s be clear, we need to freeze fares — not raise them,” he said. “The cost of everything is going up, and what working people don’t need right now is to pay more just to get around.”
This marks the second fare hike in just over a decade. Before the 2023 increase to $2.90, riders saw fares jump from $2.50 to $2.75 back in 2015.
For longtime New Yorkers like David Spectra, 71, the feeling is familiar.
“It always feels bad,” he said, recalling when fares rose from 15 cents to 20 cents in 1966. “It’s just another New York City thing.”
Still, New Yorkers are nothing if not resilient. They’ll keep riding, keep complaining, and keep demanding accountability — because at the end of the day, people just want a transit system that works as hard as they do. And that’s not too much to ask.
