Transit & Streets Active Updated Nov 2, 2026
The MTA budget gap and fare hike
The Citizens Budget Commission says the MTA faces a $900 million gap by 2030 and should run some trains with one worker instead of two, as the agency prepares a 4% fare and toll increase. The Transport Workers Union, bargaining a contract for 40,000 subway and bus workers, rejects the plan. The fight is over who closes the gap: riders, workers or the agency's staffing rules.
The story so far
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Nov 1, 2026 Latest
The Citizens Budget Commission said the MTA faces a $900 million gap by 2030, about $300 million next year, and urged one-person train operation on computer-signaled lines like the L and 7, saving $36.5 million a year, Gothamist reported. TWU president John Samuelsen rejected the idea as balancing the MTA's deficits "off the backs of working people." Albany passed a two-worker requirement last year that Gov. Hochul vetoed.
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