In votes yesterday, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved higher subway and bus fares, while the board of the New York State Thruway endorsed a plan to raise its tolls.

The MTA increase is the second time in two years that prices for public transportation have been increased. After 90 minutes of public comment at yesterday’s meeting, where an array of people spoke out against the increases, the board voted in favor of an increase that raises the price of 30-day unlimited-ride MetroCards from $70 to $76, seven-day MetroCards from $21 to $24, and express bus rides from $4 to $5.The plan also calls for closing 164 station booths and cutting off-peak bus service. The $2 subway base fare remains the same.

Fares on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will increase about 5%. The new fares are expected to go into effect in late February or early March,with an exact date yet to be determined.

“These increases are necessary to maintain service that everybody is accustomed to,” the MTA chairman, Peter Kalikow, said after the meeting. “It’s not something we’re happy about doing but it’s something we need to do.”

He said the increases were “minimal,” only affecting the half of the ridership that uses unlimited-ride cards. Approximately 7 million people use the city transit system every day.

The MTA has said the fare increase, the second in two years, is necessary to deal with upcoming budget shortfalls, including more than $1 billion for 2006. Mr. Kalikow has said the increases alone would not be enough to close the gap, and he has proposed raising $900 million in new annual tax revenue to pay for improvements to the transit system, the nation’s largest.

The only votes against the increase came from the four board members recommended by Mayor Bloomberg. He has accused the MTA of inefficiency and wasteful spending. Governor Pataki appoints the 17-member MTA board, upon the consent of the state Senate.

“The mayor believes that there’s more to be done in the MTA,” said Mark Page, one of Mr. Bloomberg’s board recommendations. The MTA needs to “determine how it can do more with less.”

Meanwhile, the Thruway’s board of directors approved a plan to raise tolls on the 641-mile highway to help fund $2 billion in capital improvements, including upgrades of the EZ Pass system. It would be the first raise since 1988.

Thruway tolls would increase by 25% for passenger cars and 35% for commercial vehicles starting May 1, 2005, under the plan. Tolls would also be rounded to the nearest quarter in an effort to speed up collection.

Fifteen new EZ Pass lanes would be added to existing toll-collection areas across the state, and 12 higher-speed lanes would also be built. Another 16 new highway speed lanes allowing drivers of EZ Pass-equipped vehicles to pay tolls without slowing down would be added at certain locations.

The highway speed lanes would first be installed at toll barriers at Woodbury, Canaan, Yonkers, and Williamsville, with Albany and Ripley as later possibilities.