No more transit fare hikes in NYC!

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to raise transit fares on buses and subways to $3. That’s 60 times what it cost in 1948, when the fare was a nickel. Meanwhile, the MTA provides $2.8 billion in tax-free interest on its bonds every year to banksters. Struggle-La Lucha urges its readers to support the Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition in fighting this robbery of poor and working people.

Aug. 1 Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition Press Statement

On July 30, the MTA Board concluded its July meeting (which is open to the public but meets at 9:00 am when most working people are already on the clock) with the threat of a fare increase that would go into effect on Jan. 4, 2026. A decision such as this could only come from an entity that is completely out of touch with the day-to-day experiences of the working and poor people of our city, as we struggle to survive an unprecedented affordability crisis that shows no sign of letting up.

The “Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition” – a group of working and poor New Yorkers fighting for affordable transit – demands the MTA Board cancel the 2026 fare hike and all future increases. The strength of our fight comes from our collective recognition that fares keep going up, rent keeps going up, and our paychecks do not! Our position is that any fare increase imposed upon us by the MTA Board would exacerbate the fundamental issue with our transit system: one in five New Yorkers is struggling to afford the fare. The affordability crisis will worsen if we continue to allow NYC agencies to extract from our shrinking pockets. 

An incorrect analysis of our current situation is what leads the MTA Board to invest over $1 billion/year on “fare evasion prevention” rather than investing those same dollars in the NYC Fair Fares program, which would directly alleviate some of the financial burden resulting in fare evasion. The root cause of fare evasion is not criminality; it is an inability to keep up with the rising cost of living that is outpacing the money we are bringing home.

To the MTA Board, our message is simple: The days of you making decisions that negatively impact the quality of life and safety of transit riders and workers without organized resistance are numbered. The “Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition” calls on all working and poor New Yorkers to join this campaign, as we continue to apply pressure, until our ability to access an affordable and quality public transit system is recognized as a human right. The fare ain’t fair and the poor won’t pay more!

To join the Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition and / or learn more about our work, contact us at fareaintfair@protonmail.com.