The cost of a single subway, bus or paratransit ride will hit $3 for the first time come January, after the MTA board on Tuesday approved the latest in a series of every-other-year increases.

The MTA had avoided hitting the 3-buck milestone in recent years, despite previous proposals to reach the mark that stretched back nearly a decade.

MTA Chairperson and Chief Executive Janno Lieber acknowledged that any bump in fares is “always painful,” while contrasting what amounts to a 2% annual increase with double-digit fare hikes elsewhere in the country.

“As we always say, transit is one of the things that makes NY affordable,” Lieber said. “Let’s start talking about housing and childcare and the other things that are clearly the center of that affordability crisis.”

Lieber pointed to a

See Full Page