NYC Raises Subway Fares; Sky Falls

After months of ominous foreshadowing, New York City’s transit authority finally did it: Effective June 28, subway and bus fares will jump from $2.00 to $2.25. Reaction has been swift and snarky—check out this satirical subway advisory, for instance. Said one commenter on this Jaunted post about the hike: “Yet again NYC trumps all when it comes to being plain expensive.”

Whoa, hold on a minute. Sure, nobody likes a price increase, especially when consumers aren’t expecting to see improved service in return—the move is an effort to stop the bleeding, not rejuvenate the system. But New York City’s public transit is still cheap compared to what’s available in other big cities, and—much like the city itself, which I will always maintain is a fantastic budget destination—it remains a great value for money.

Let’s take a look at the fares in some other large, urban tourist magnets around the world.

First up: London, where the standard cash fare for a ride from Paddington to King’s Cross, both within Zone One, will set you back £4.00, or about $6.00. A ride from Zone One all the way out to Zone Nine? Don’t even ask. Meanwhile, in Paris, a single fare costs €1.60, or about $2.17, just a shade cheaper than New York’s new price. Toronto? $2.75 in Canadian dollars—these days, around $2.34 U.S. Or how about Chicago? It matches NYC exactly, also charging $2.25 per ride.

Even my own hometown of Ottawa—hardly known as one of the world’s best-loved metropolises—charges a basic cash fare of $3.00 for the privilege of setting foot on an OC Transpo bus, and $4.00 or $5.00 for the express and rural routes. Think about it: Would you rather pay $3.00 to visit the Canadian Currency Museum, or $2.25 to visit the Met?

I don’t mean to be unsympathetic to MTA regulars. But I don’t like perpetuating the myth that New York City (rent aside!) is horrifically expensive, either. That constant refrain scares the penny-pinching traveler away from visiting the city, which is a shame, because as far as I’m concerned it’s actually the budget traveler’s ultimate urban playground.

Unconvinced? Well, here’s a budget tip for you: @coovents tweets happy hour specials from around the city, so you can pull up a stool, grab a discount drink, and drown your subway-fare-hike sorrows on the cheap.

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