New Yorkers may soon pay significantly more for an FDNY ambulance ride. The department is proposing steep increases to EMS treatment and transport fees, saying the hikes are needed to keep up with rising operating costs and reduce the burden on city taxpayers. A Basic Life Support ambulance ride would rise nearly 30%, and treatment without transport would jump from $630 to almost $900. Existing charges, including $20 per mile and $66 for oxygen, would remain.

EMS union leaders argue the proposal misses the real crisis: a shrinking workforce driven by low pay.

In a joint statement, Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay and Local 3621 President Vincent Variale said EMTs and paramedics, many of whom are Black, Hispanic and women, are leaving the job because they cannot survive on current wages. They warn that 1,500 EMS workers, about 37% of the workforce, could quit by 2026, worsening response times and straining the entire emergency system.

They say they are in talks with City Hall and hope the new administration addresses pay disparities.

If approved, the new rates would take effect July 1.

A virtual public hearing is scheduled for May 15 at 11 a.m. For patients, the changes could mean higher bills during emergencies; for EMS workers, unions say it highlights a system already pushed to the brink