MTA announces discounts to urge commuters back into public transportation

In the era of the COVID-19, the MTA says fewer people are taking public transit.

News 12 Staff

Feb 7, 2022, 11:57 PM

Updated 969 days ago

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The MTA announced Monday new discounts to get New Yorkers back into public transportation as the city's economy looks to recover from the pandemic.
In the era of the COVID-19, the MTA says fewer people are taking public transit.
For example, around 2 million riders stopped taking the subway on weekdays.
That's why the agency announced a roll-out of temporary fare discounts that kick in at the end of February.
MTA officials say they hope these new discounts will get New Yorkers back on public transportation.
Starting on Feb. 28, riders who use the OMNY system to tap and pay will get free rides after their 12th trip for the remainder of that same week.
Commuters who take the Metro-North or the Long Island Rail Road will see a 20% price drop for 20-day tickets, starting Feb. 25.
Plus, riders will be able to take these commuter rails within New York City on weekdays for just $5.
Although riders said they're happy with these changes, they said safety is another thing keeping them off the public transit.
However, MTA officials said they're working on what they can control. They also added that it's possible these prices could one day be permanent.