Concerned commuters gathered at MTA Headquarters in Manhattan on Monday night to speak their minds at the final MTA public hearing on proposed fare and toll hikes.

“A price hike now is going to affect other students and the millions of New Yorkers who take the train every day,” college student Sabil Manai said.

Manai lives in Bay Ridge and says she relies on trains to attend college at New York City College of Technology.

“As a student, it will be difficult [when] combined with the financial challenges of college,” Manai said.

Under the MTA's proposal, the cost of a subway ride would go up 15 cents to $2.90. 

A seven-day unlimited pass would go up $1.

A 30-day unlimited pass would increase by $5.

A single express bus ride would rise to $7.

And a seven-day unlimited express bus pass would go up $2.

The MTA proposes fare hikes every other year, but they were on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People testifying on Monday say now is not the time to bring them back.

“[The] majority of New Yorkers who rely on public transportation, such as myself, are struggling in all aspects of life,” student Betsey Lindor from Pelham Bay said.

The MTA is also proposing E-ZPass toll hikes, which would apply to all MTA bridges and tunnels.

The MTA says customers are actually getting a bit of a break. But Lindor disagrees, saying New Yorkers are going to bear the brunt of the proposed fare hikes.

“Raising the fares to me means more financial stress,” Lindor said.

Manai, a student getting her degree in applied chemistry, says the fare increases could sabotage her dreams.

“My livelihood depends on the train,” Manai said.

Other concerns from riders include intermittent service and fare evasion, and how both of those things play into the fare hikes.

Next month, the MTA board will vote on whether or not to approve the rate hikes.