Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and Metro (MNR) ‘City Ticket’ fares will be discounted by 10% starting July 1. On the 30th, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors approved a pilot program for a 10% discount on city tickets to and from Manhattan (Penn Station or Grand Central Station).
It will be operated temporarily for one year as a pilot program to encourage drivers to switch to public transportation in line with the Manhattan traffic congestion tax that will take effect on June 30.
Accordingly, the one-month pass for Queens Jamaica and Manhattan Penn Station, the longest section of LIRR ‘City Ticket’ (zones 1-3), will be discounted by 10% from the current $220 to $198. The longest section (Zone 1-2) of Metronos’ City Ticket is also discounted from the current $199.75 to $180.00 for one month. The MTA Board of Directors said, “Trains are the best means of transportation to and from Manhattan without traffic jams,” and added, “We hope to attract more train users through this program.”
Meanwhile, the MTA Board of Directors also approved a program to increase Express Bus service on six routes from Brooklyn and Staten Island to the southern end of 60th Street in Manhattan. This program, which will be implemented simultaneously on June 30 in line with the implementation of the Manhattan traffic congestion tax, covers six routes, including BM2, BM5, SIM1C, SIM4C, SIM23, and SIM24, two in Brooklyn and four in Staten Island, and express buses during peak times such as rush hour. An increase in flights was also included.
The MTA estimated that this train fare discount program will cost $4 million per year and the bus increase program will cost $883,000 per year. However, these costs are covered by the ‘Borough Outer Area Transportation Account’ (OBTA), which was established by the state legislature in 2018 to improve transportation in the outskirts of New York City.