NYC subway fares are set to hit $3 in 2026—here's what that means for you
But that's not the only change coming to your commute. As the MTA phases out MetroCards entirely—they'll stop selling them in January and stop accepting them sometime later in 2026—it's also scrapping the 30-day unlimited option that's long been a lifesaver for daily riders. Instead, OMNY's seven-day fare cap will take center stage: Once riders hit $36 in subway and bus fares in a week using the same phone or card, rides are free for the rest of that seven-day period. (The cap's currently $34.)
Express bus regulars, you're getting your own OMNY version of the weekly unlimited pass, triggered after you spend $67 in a week.
For car commuters, there's more pain at the pump—er, toll. E-ZPass users will see increases across major crossings: 52 cents more for the RFK, Verrazzano and others; 24 cents more for the Henry Hudson Bridge; and 20 cents more for the Cross Bay and Marine Parkway bridges. Train riders won't be spared either: Metro-North and LIRR fares are jumping 4.4% and round-trip tickets are being swapped for day passes that expire four hours after activation.
And for those still clinging to the past, the OMNY card will now cost $2 instead of $1, because apparently even plastic nostalgia isn't free anymore.
The MTA says these hikes are necessary to offset inflation and keep up with pension and healthcare obligations. But riders' advocates aren't sold. Danny Pearlstein of the Riders Alliance is urging the city to make Fair Fares more accessible for low-income New Yorkers through automatic enrollment and expanded eligibility.
As MTA Chair Janno Lieber put it: 'We're not part of the affordability problem—we're part of the affordability solutions.'
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