MTA mistakenly charged higher fares to subway, bus riders
Some subway and bus riders using the MTA's OMNY payment system, pictured here in June 2022, were overcharged on Monday, the MTA acknowledged. Credit: Bloomberg / Jeenah Moon
The MTA’s latest fare hike mistakenly arrived three weeks early for some commuters when a “technical glitch” resulted in some bus and subway riders being temporarily overcharged Monday morning, officials said.
Several commuters using the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s OMNY fare payment system were surprised when they saw they were charged $2.90 for their bus or subway ride — 15 cents more than the current rate of $2.75.
“I thought the new fares were set to go into effect in late August. I was just charged $2.90,” wrote Twitter user @frankiethejerk, one of dozens of riders who took to social media to complain about premature rate increase. “It's ok … it's 15 cents. You can have it, just don't be sneaky about it.”
MTA spokesperson David Steckel said the mistake occurred after Cubic, the firm hired by the MTA to create and maintain OMNY, “erroneously and prematurely implemented software changes” intended to take effect next month.
The MTA would not say how many riders were charged the higher fare.
A spokesperson for Cubic Transportation Systems said the company "cannot provide comment on customer systems."
The MTA Board voted earlier this month to approve the new cost of a single bus and subway ride — the first such increase in eight years. The change is included in a plan to increase fare revenue including from the Long Island Rail Road, by about 4%, and tolls on MTA bridges and tunnels by about 6%.
The new tolls take effect Sunday, and the new fares are scheduled to take effect Aug. 20.
“The MTA immediately directed Cubic to rectify the problem, which was resolved at approximately 9 a.m. Anyone who was charged $2.90 will be reimbursed 15 cents per transaction,” Steckel said. “The MTA thanks our customers for bringing this to our attention quickly and apologizes for the inconvenience.”
The problem did not affect fares on the LIRR, where OMNY is not accepted, nor users of the MetroCard.
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.
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