New LIRR fare changes, which eliminate round-trip tickets, take effect Sunday
A train pulls into LIRR's Kings Park station during a snowstorm earlier this month. Credit: Joseph Sperber
Saturday is the last day Long Island Rail Road riders will be able to buy a round-trip or 10-trip ticket, as the MTA’s new fare and toll plan takes effect Sunday, bringing higher rates and big changes for commuters.
The plan aims to raise fare revenue throughout the Metropolitan Transportation Authority by 4%, but some riders will see their costs rise by more than that. LIRR monthly and weekly tickets will go up by 4.5%, with no monthly tickets exceeding $500.
The cost of a trip on an MTA subway or bus, and on Nassau's NICE Bus, will climb 10 cents to $3.
Tolls are also going up by 7.5% at MTA bridges and tunnels, bringing the cost of a trip across the Throgs Neck Bridge or Queens-Midtown Tunnel to $7.46 from the current $6.94 for E-ZPass customers, and from $11.19 to $12.03 for those without E-ZPass.
Other big changes are in store for LIRR riders, including the elimination of round-trip and 10-Trip tickets, and significantly shortened validity periods for one-way tickets, which will only be good until 4 a.m. the day after they were purchased.
MTA spokesperson David Steckel confirmed Friday that any ticket bought before the new policies take effect "will have its printed expiration date honored."
MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber has said the changes aim to address "unintentional" and "opportunistic" fare evasion by LIRR riders who save their tickets for future use if they aren’t inspected by a train conductor. In a related change, any customer who does not purchase or activate a mobile ticket before boarding could be hit with an $8 penalty.
Other changes will be more welcomed by riders, including the extension of the $1 Family Fare ticket to children up to age 17, and the extension of discounted fares for seniors and riders with disabilities to morning peak hours.
Carl Esposito, 67, who rides the LIRR a few times a week, said the new discounts mean "financially, I’m going to come out ahead." However, Esposito believes, overall, the LIRR’s new ticket policies will prove "extremely inconvenient," as it will reduce his ability to plan ahead.
"Having to buy a ticket every single time before you get on a train is clearly going to be a nuisance," Esposito, who has been riding the LIRR for nearly 40 years, said in a phone interview Friday. "Can you get used to it? Yeah, probably. But it’s not very smart, and it’s not very fair."
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
