MetroCard Fare Hikes Take Effect Thursday

Could there be a worse time to ask for a fare hike?

"I think they should put it off, with the traffic and everything, the snow. It's crazy," said one city straphanger.

Just days after the storm that slowed service on all subway lines, trapped some riders for hours and stranded a thousand buses across the city, here’s another post-Christmas gift --
an increase in subway and bus fares, starting Thursday.

"Any increase is not good for us. We are suffering just as much as they are. They need to find another way of doing it. They need to reduce from the top, down," said one city straphanger.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it's done all the reductions it can to the tune of half a billion dollars. But it's not enough to balance the budget, and the MTA's chairman says the hike has to happen now.

"We've gone through a process of consideration of public hearings. It has to go forward at this point, the agency fundamentally needs the resources," said MTA Chairman & CEO Jay Walder.

If you use a monthly MetroCard, you’ll pay the biggest hike -- $15 -- as the unlimited card goes to $104. The weekly goes from $27 to $29. The pay-per-ride bonus will be seven percent, down from 15 percent, and you’ll have to spend $10 to get it. The base fare remains $2.25, but a single-ride, single-use card goes up to $2.50. It’s all a bit too much for storm-tossed riders.