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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is soliciting public input on a series of proposed fare and toll increases the agency unveiled yesterday.

The increases are designed to raise additional revenue needed to support the New York City area's transportation system, MTA officials said in a prepared statement.

"Costs that the MTA does not exercise control over, namely those for debt service, pensions, energy, paratransit and employee and retiree health care, continue to increase beyond the rate of inflation," said MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Lhota. "We are grappling with long-term measures to reduce these frustrating and difficult nondiscrentionary expenses, but today they are the drivers of the need for a fare and toll increase."

The increases are necessary despite "unprecedented MTA management actions to cut controllable expenses," MTA officials said.

The agency proposed a slate of four alternative proposals for MTA New York City Transit's subway and local bus system. The proposals differ in the way they treat the base fare, time-based unlimited-ride MetroCards and the MetroCard bonus discount of 7 percent that riders receive for putting at least $10 on a pay-per-ride card. One proposal calls for raising the base fare from $2.25 to $2.50.

Most fares to ride MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad trains would increase 8.19 percent to 9.31 percent under the proposal.

MTA board members will accept public comments during eight public hearings to be held Nov. 7-15. The board also will accept written comments via email, regular mail and videotape that can be recorded at MTA facilities.