Outrage ensued.

Then Governor Cuomo intervened, saying that paying more money for this transit service was a bad idea, humiliating the cash-strapped agency he said he did not control.

Naturally, there was more outrage — this time from people who said Mr. Cuomo does, indeed, control the agency.

More wrangling occurred, but the need for a fare increase never went away.

Yesterday, it arrived.

The M.T.A.’s board voted to increase the cost of weekly and monthly MetroCards, as well as most rides on the commuter rails, as well as tolls for its bridges and tunnels.

[Read the full story about the fare increases.]

The takeaway: Even with the $336 million that the fare increase is expected to bring, the M.T.A. needs more money. That’s where congestion pricing becomes a factor.