MTA eyes ending some multi-fare subway discounts

Deep discounts on MetroCards for New York City subway and bus rides could end under a proposal floated Wednesday by MTA chairman Joseph Lhota.

Speaking at a Manhattan breakfast hosted by Crain's New York Business, Lhota questioned the agency's long-standing policy of offering discounts to customers who buy multiple-ride cards.

The base fare for a subway or bus ride is $2.25, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority collects, on average, $1.63 per ride, Lhota said. The difference comes from the discounts offered on 30-day unlimited MetroCards, which cost $104, 7-day MetroCards, which cost $29, and other reduced-fare programs.

"Do we need a discount that deep?" Lhota said. "I think we need to have a really big public discussion about the fare price and the discounting that goes on."

The role of fare discounts for multi-ride purchases would be part of the discussion when the MTA releases its proposals on how to increase fare revenue by 7.5 percent next year.

Gene Russianoff, spokesman for the Straphangers Campaign, said Lhota's suggestion could eliminate the discount for a $10 MetroCard, which gives customers a 7-percent break on the price per ride.

"Anyone who thinks that's anything other than hitting the rider for more dough is mistaken," said Russianoff, who added that reducing or eliminating the discounts on some MetroCards would take away some riders' incentives to pay for several trips at once.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The MTA already has some multi-ride plans that are not discounted. The cost of a Long Island Rail Road peak Ten-Trip Ticket cost the same as 10 individual peak one-way fares. The LIRR calls it a "convenience ticket."

Discounts are available for some other multi-ride LIRR tickets, including monthly commuter tickets that save riders 50 percent compared with the cost of 42 one-way peak rides.

The MTA's plan to raise fares overall next year includes hikes in LIRR fares. The 7.5-percent rise is expected to increase fare revenue by $450 million a year.