Changes to Metro North ticketing to begin on Sunday
Metro North trains are set to have their ticket prices increase starting Sunday.
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Big changes to ticketing for Metro-North trains begin on Sunday, after being approved by the MTA in September.
They include a price increase of up to 4.5% for monthly and weekly tickets, and an up to 8% increase for all other tickets.
"The rest of the country - mass transit is looking at 20-plus percent fare increases," said MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber in December. "Just in New Jersey this year - in the past year, they've done a 20% fare increase in effect."
Regular riders at the South Norwalk station, like Haydee Lopez, acknowledged the increase would not be easy.
"You feel it, you can get your raises and all that, but, it's - you're barely keeping up with everything," she said.
While money from congestion pricing goes to the MTA's capital budget, which pays for improvements and construction, the agency says the fare hikes are needed for the operating budget, which keeps the system up and running and pays worker salaries.
"It's the way of the world," said Amy Thurmond, who takes the train from South Norwalk almost every day. "Especially I know that they have short staff, and things are rising all around."
Lieber said the raise is still less than the rate of inflation, and that overall, "monthlies are still lower in cost real terms than they were before COVID. Go to the diner of your choice and figure out what else has gone down in price since before COVID -- not many things."
"Comparable to the traffic on 95, and the price of a monthly pass in comparison to a tank of gas, it's still much more affordable," said Michael Roth, another regular rider from Norwalk.
The way tickets are purchased is also changing.
In the current system, one-way and round-trip tickets are good for 60 days after purchase, but starting Sunday, one-way tickets will expire at 4 a.m. the day after they are bought.
The MTA says it is trying to stop those who avoid paying their fare on occasions when the conductor does not get to them to check their ticket.
"There was a lot of unintentional fare evasion, and even some opportunistic fare evasion," Lieber said. "So we're adjusting for that, so everyone has confidence this is a fair system, where everyone's paying their fair share."
People who still wait to activate their ticket until they are on the train will be warned by the mobile Train Time app, and then eventually charged an extra fee as a punishment.
"I see sometimes that it delays the conductor, so I do get it, also I'll be interested to see how much grace they give people," Thurmond said.
Round-trip tickets, meanwhile, will be replaced by an unlimited day pass, which also is good until 4 a.m. the next day.
The mobile app will also keep track of how many trips a rider buys. After 10 one-way trips in a 14-day period, the 11th during that same stretch will automatically be free.
Several other discounts will also be added, including reduced fares for seniors, people with disabilities and Medicare recipients.
Up to four children between the ages of 5 and 17 will also be able to ride at only $1 per child each way, as long as they are traveling with an adult.
