Here's what you need to know about LIRR fare changes that begin Sunday

The way Long Islanders pay for their commutes, and how much they pay for them, will undergo some major changes in the new year, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as part of its latest rate hike, introduces several new fare options, and takes away some, too.

In addition to driving up the cost of riding a train or bus or of driving across a New York City bridge or tunnel, the forthcoming rate adjustment includes the discontinuation of MetroCard sales and several measures aimed at reducing fare evasion on the Long Island Rail Road, such as drastic reductions in ticket validity periods.

“I think folks are going to adapt pretty quickly,” MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said at a Dec. 19 Valley Stream news conference. "There’s always going to be people who are uncomfortable with change, and we will do everything within our power to help them adapt to it.”

The new rates and policies take effect Jan. 4. Here’s what you need to know before heading out the door.

Most transit riders will pay more

The MTA’s latest rate hike aims to raise fare revenue by 4%, but some commuters will see their costs rise more.

On the Long Island Rail Road, monthly and weekly tickets will rise by about 4.5%, and other ticket types will go up by as much as 8%.

A monthly ticket between Hicksville and Penn Station will climb from $287 to $299.75. A one-way peak ticket from Ronkonkoma to Penn will increase $1, to $21.50.

MTA officials have pointed out that, even with the latest rate increase, monthly LIRR tickets still cost less than they did in 2019. That’s because the railroad reduced monthly ticket prices by 10% in 2022 to spur ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On buses and subways, the cost of a single ride will reach $3, up from $2.90.

Because the MetroCard is going away, so too is the weekly and monthly unlimited ride MetroCard. Taking its place is a program in which, after riders pay for 12 trips in a seven-day period, all subsequent trips are free, meaning nobody will pay more than $35 in a week.

While visiting the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, subway, bus and LIRR rider Michael Alexander noted the cost of his commute "goes up more frequently than my rent.”

“No one wants that," Alexander, 38, of Manhattan, said. "Obviously, there’s a lot of improvements that can be made to all of the stations. There’s a lot of aging going on. And it’s hard to see more money going out of pocket and not the changes you expect to see on the other end.”

Some will pay less

The new fare plan also includes discounts for some riders, including on the LIRR.

For the first time, the reduced fare program for seniors and riders with disabilities is being extended to morning peak hours. Also, the LIRR’s Family Fare program, which allows children to ride for $1 when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult, is being extended to include children up to age 17. It was previously limited to children up to 11 years old.

Although the LIRR is discontinuing both its round trip and 10-trip tickets, it’s offering new fare programs that it says could help some riders save more. After making 10 trips in a 14-day period, an 11th peak or off-peak ticket is free. And a new LIRR Day Pass will allow customers to take as many trips as they want in a day between two points for less than the cost of two one-way peak tickets.

“They’re going to have the ability to see even more of Long Island for a low fare,” LIRR president Rob Free said. “I think these are incremental steps to modernize our fare structure and make it much more simple for our customers.”

Riders who prefer paper tickets will find additional conveniences using new ticket vending machines. The machines offer instructions in 10 languages, dispense change in bills up to $10, and allow customers to scan a bar code on a used ticket to buy the same ticket again.

Some of the most significant changes coming to the LIRR’s fare policy aim to address the reality that many riders count on conductors never checking their tickets, thereby allowing them to ride free.

To thwart attempts to save uninspected tickets for future use, the railroad is reducing the validity period for both printed and electronic one-way tickets from the current 60 days to one. All one-way tickets will expire at 4 a.m. the day after they are purchased, even if a conductor doesn’t check them.

“We found that there was a lot of unintentional fare evasion, and even some opportunistic fare evasion,” Lieber said at the MTA Board's Dec. 17 meeting. “We’re adjusting to that so that everybody has confidence that this is a fair system where everybody is paying their fair share.”

To further discourage riders from waiting until the last minute to buy or activate electronic tickets, the LIRR is instituting an $8 surcharge for customers who “repeatedly purchase or activate mobile tickets onboard,” rather than before getting on their train, according to the new policy.

Farewell MetroCard, hello OMNY

More than three decades after New Yorkers began swiping to pay for their bus and subway rides, the MTA will sell its final MetroCard on Dec. 31. MTA officials have not given a firm date for when the MetroCard will be fully retired, but have said the magnetic strip fare cards will continue to be accepted for several months into 2026.

Replacing the MetroCard is the MTA’s new OMNY system, which allows customers to pay for their rides with a tap of their digital wallet, credit card or a stored value OMNY card, which can be purchased at vending machines, subway stations and some retail stores. Riders will be able to transfer any stored value on remaining MetroCards to their OMNY accounts.

OMNY is already accepted on all New York City buses and subways. In January, the new fare system also will roll out for the Nassau Inter-County Express, or NICE Bus.

After multiple delays, the MTA and Nassau County finalized a deal earlier this year to bring OMNY to NICE, and workers have been toiling around the clock to install tap-and-ride readers to the county’s fleet of about 300 buses.

“We’ll be the first system outside of the MTA to have the OMNY system,” NICE CEO Jack Khzouz said at a Vision Long Island event in Woodbury in December. “It will be seamless between us and the MTA.”

NICE’s rates will go up in January to match the MTA’s fares, including for riders paying in cash or with NICE’s GoMobile app.

Drivers aren’t spared

As usual, the MTA’s fare increases are being accompanied by even higher toll increases.

Tolls at the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels will climb by 7.5% for all motorists. At major crossings, including the Throgs Neck Bridge and Queens-Midtown Tunnel, tolls will climb to $7.46 from the current $6.94 for E-ZPass customers, and from $11.19 to $12.03 for those without E-ZPass.

The MTA’s Manhattan congestion pricing tolls, which mark their anniversary in January, are unaffected by the rate increases.