NEW YORK - A commute across the Hudson River is going to get more expensive, as will taking a cab from the airport and buying a PATH rail pass.
The Port Authority on Thursday unanimously approved higher tolls, fares and surcharges to raise $235 million a year.
It's the first series of hikes since 2015.
“Well, as an Uber driver, that’s going to affect a lot of drivers,” said Addelitif Oushkour. “It's our income.”
The cash grab, Port Authority officials say, is necessary to upgrade aging facilities that handle a record number of travelers each year, as well as to cover major airport renovations and build a new bus terminal in Midtown.
"There's no way to do that unless there is funding,” said Rick Cotton, Director for the Port Authority. “It is an unpleasant truth."
The toll on Port Authority bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey, which is charged to eastbound vehicles, will rise one dollar to $16 for vehicles without E-ZPass. And E-ZPass discounts will be reduced.
The single PATH fare will remain the same, but the cost of multi-trip passes will rise, hiking the cost of each trip 40 cents to $2.50.
The $5 fare for the AirTrain at JFK and Newark airports will increase to $7.75.
And for the first time, airports will charge passengers in Uber and other apps $2.50 for pickups and drop offs. Taxis will see a $1.25 fee added to pickups from airports.
"If you want a world class facility and you want a safe facility, we got to pay for that," said Kevin O'Toole, Chairman of Port Authority.
Bridge and tunnel toll hikes will hit drivers next year, on January 5th. Later in the fall, higher prices for PATH rides and car trips to the airport will go into effect.