MTA mulls 4 percent fare, toll hike next year

Swiping a MetroCard at a subway turnstile could cost an extra 25 cents in March, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday.

The MTA’s finance chairman has suggested a 4 percent increase in fares and tolls and board members are expected to vote on the proposed hikes in January after conducting a series of public hearings.

Two proposals to boost subway and bus fares and tunnel and bridge tolls have been drafted by the MTA.

The first would increase fares for subways and buses to $3 from $2.75, which would increase the MetroCard purchase bonus to 16 percent from 11 percent. The second would keep the current $2.75 fare, but drop the bonus to 5 percent.

Under both proposals, the price of a weekly MetroCard card would rise to $32 from $31, and a monthly card would increase to $121 from $116.50.

Tolls on tunnels and bridges and commuter rail would increase by 4 percent.

The MTA plans to increase fares every two years; the most current one happened in March 2015. The 2017 increase will be the sixth since 2008.

Some transportation advocate and elected officials are lobbying Mayor Bill de Blasio to finance a program to provide half-price MetroCards to low-income residents.