Long Island Rail Road officials are considering new ticket types to reflect how often passengers travel to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes as the LIRR suspended peak fares and many former commuters continue to work from home.
Sales of the railroad’s monthly commuter passes have dropped 85% during the pandemic according to a Newsday analysis.
With suspended peak prices, the monthly tickets cost the same as 22 peak trips. Chairman of the LIRR Commuter Council Gerard Bringmann told Newsday that people are not buying monthly tickets because it’s often more expensive than buying tickets for the few days they have to commute to work.
The MTA has projected it may take until 2025 to get 80% of its riders back. Bringmann said the railroad’s board needs to do something to consider commuter’s new schedule.
