PATH raised its fare to $3.25 in 2026 — what changed

PATH nudged its flat fare from $3.00 to $3.25 on May 3, 2026 — the latest in a planned run of annual 25-cent steps toward $4.00 by 2029, and still the cheapest one-seat ride between New Jersey and Manhattan. The flat structure is the headline: $3.25 buys any trip, whether Newark Penn to the World Trade Center or Hoboken to 33rd Street.

What you get for the quarter

The increase rides alongside a service-improvement plan: the Port Authority has committed to tighter rush-hour frequencies on the Newark–World Trade Center line, with a step up toward trains every four minutes at peak — a 25% service increase — slated for March 2027. For corridor riders, more trains at peak is the part that matters — PATH's weakness has always been the off-peak wait and the Journal Square transfer on the 33rd Street line.

Where PATH still wins — and where it doesn't

It wins decisively for downtown: Newark Penn to the WTC in about 22 minutes for $3.25 is unbeatable on cost. It loses from the airport, because PATH starts at Newark Penn, not EWR — you need a short NJ Transit hop to reach it, which is why we file PATH as the city crossing more than the airport one. Full timing and the transfer detail are on the PATH entry; for the airport, the NJ Transit rail crossing is the rail pick.