Overview
- MetroCard acceptance ended and buses stopped taking cash, with OMNY fare-capping now limiting riders to $35 per week after 12 trips.
- Express bus fares rose to $7.25, LIRR and Metro-North weekly and monthly tickets increased about 4.5%, and MTA bridge and tunnel tolls climbed 7.5%.
- Nassau’s NICE and Westchester’s Bee-Line bus systems aligned their base fares to $3 to match the MTA’s new price.
- MTA enforcement efforts expanded with pilot modern fare gates plus spikes and paddles on turnstiles to address an estimated $400 million in 2025 fare losses.
- Riders voiced frustration over higher costs and reported Monday service delays, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s free-bus pledge remains a proposal requiring MTA and state approval.