New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced it is raising bus and subway fares due to budget constraints, a week after spending over $76,000 to stop "manspreading."
According to the New York Times:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted on Thursday to raise the base fare on subways and buses by a quarter, to $2.75, and the cost of a 30-day MetroCard by $4.50, to $116.50.
The new fares, approved by the authority’s board, were part of a package of increases being considered for the system’s trains, buses, tunnels, and bridges. The new rates will take effect on March 22.
MTA chairman Thomas F. Prendergast said the "modest" increase is necessary to "balance the agency’s budget against the rising costs of providing services." The MTA is $34.4 billion in debt.
As the Washington Free Beacon reported last week, MTA recently spent $76,707.70 on its advertising campaign on subway etiquette, which included posters telling men: "Dude, stop the spread."