MTA to reveal its fare hike proposal on Monday: Officials

The MTA will unveil proposals for next year's fare hikes on Monday, as the agency looks to raise hundreds of millions in annual revenue, officials said Tuesday.

The agency declined to give specifics, but said that after the proposals are revealed, eight public hearings will be held in November to decide what will go into the final draft. The board will then vote in December on the hike, which is expected to go into effect March 1.

The agency is reportedly looking at four plans, each raising $232 million through combinations of fare hikes and reductions in pay-per-ride bonuses, according to the Daily News. In one proposed plan, the MTA would hike the price of a 30-day MetroCard to $125 from $104, increase the seven-day MetroCard to $34 from $29, and cut the pay-per-ride bonus to 5% from 7%, the Daily News reported.

In another, the base fare for a single ride would increase to $2.50 from $2.25, while a 30-day card would jump to $119 and a seven-day would hit $32, the Daily News reported.

The MTA declined to comment on these proposed hikes, but said virtually anything is on the table.

"Nobody likes to pay more for anything," MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said. "But within that, we want to hear what options sound better or worse to people."

Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said the hike plans are basically "pick your poison," and that the MTA needs helps from the state.

"We'd like to see some help from Albany, the governor and the state legislature," Russianoff said. "They really need to come to our rescue to eliminate or reduce the impact of this fare hike."