Press Release
As City Expands Low-Income Transit Discount, Riders, TWU, MTA, Advocates Rally Urging Mayor To Offer “Fair Fares’ To New Yorkers Earning Up To 200% Of Federal Poverty Line
Experts push doubling the existing eligibility threshold to achieve Fair Fares’s economic security potential after City Hall boosted funding by $20 million
New York, NY--With the NYC Human Resources Administration taking comments from the public on a proposed change to eligibility for the Fair Fares program through October 6, public transit riders, Transport Workers Union Local 100, Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders, NYC Council Members, and advocates held a rally urging the Adams administration to double the threshold to 200% of the federal poverty line, stretching $20 million in new funding to reach as many as possible. The proposed new rule would limit the expansion to those earning up to 120% of the poverty line.
“In a tight budget year, Mayor Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams increased funding for the Fair Fares program, underscoring the importance of the program to driving ridership growth, transit equity and boosting the local economy,” said David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society. “But expanding eligibility to 120 percent of poverty, which we estimate will open the program to an additional 50,000 low income, still leaves out far too many low-income New Yorkers struggling to afford to live and work in our city. By doubling the eligibility threshold to 200 percent of poverty, the Mayor can make the program a true pathway to economic mobility for one million struggling New Yorkers.”
“Hundreds of thousands of working New Yorkers struggling to pay rent, buy food and stay healthy in our city need Mayor Adams to deliver transit affordability now,” said Riders Alliance Senior Organizer Danna Dennis. “Bus and subway riders won $20 million to expand Fair Fares and it’s up to City Hall to make the most of that new funding and save people at 200% of the federal poverty level up to $1,500 each year.”
“It’s not a freebie,” Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Richard Davis said. “It’s a helping hand, and that’s what good government does. If the city expands eligibility, more working men and women on the lower end of the income scale will ride our buses and trains, or ride it more frequently. They will find it a bit easier to make ends meet and provide for their families. Enabling more people to take advantage of the discount won’t eliminate fare beating. But it will alleviate economic pressure on individuals, and some of them will be less compelled to jump the turnstile or board a bus without paying. That’s good for riders and good for the MTA’s bottom line.”
“City leaders have talked about addressing poverty and equity and the best way to do this is by offering financial assistance to the many New Yorkers in need who depend on Mass Transit,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “The MTA receives hundreds of applications daily for reduced fares and with the City’s support we can help these low-income New Yorkers who are using the buses and subway to get to school and work every day.”
“Despite being one of the most expensive places to live in the country, New York City has some of the strictest requirements to access discounted transit fares,” said New York City Bar Social Welfare Committee Co-Chair Lindsay Funk. “Expanding the income eligibility threshold for the Fair Fares program to 200% of the federal poverty level is consistent with requirements set by peer cities nationwide. We urge the Human Resources Administration to adopt a sensible income eligibility threshold of 200% of the federal poverty level to help the City become a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of income.”
“As prices continue to increase, Fair Fares is a lifeline that keeps our system accessible, connecting people to opportunities across the city. We must continue to support and expand this program by raising eligibility to people making up to 200% of the federal poverty line,” said City Council Majority Leader Keith Powers.
“Our city depends on mass transit, and so does its future. The New York City Council was proud to expand Fair Fares in the budget to benefit working class New Yorkers. We need the program to reach 200% of the federal poverty line. Doubling the eligibility threshold in this way is a critical step toward ensuring transit affordability for as many New Yorkers as possible. It's vital for access and for a fairer city.”- Council Member Shekar Krishnan
With more than 300,000 enrollees, Fair Fares has brought half-fare MetroCards to New Yorkers living at or below the poverty line for five years. This year, a broad coalition of civic leaders from the Association for a Better New York to the New York City Bar to the Community Service Society has pushed City Hall to double eligibility for the program. Currently, the program benefits adult members of households up to a ceiling of $30,000 annual income (for a family of four). The proposed expansion would extend the discount to New York families earning as much as $60,000.
Advocates and watchdog groups focused on Metropolitan Transportation Authority finances also weighed in with their support for a full expansion of the program to 200% of poverty, including the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC), Reinvent Albany, and the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. Joining them were NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Transportation Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers, who led the fight through budget negotiations.
Expansion to 200% of poverty was also a major action item of the recent MTA Blue Ribbon Commission on Fare and Toll Evasion. The MTA estimates its annual loss to nonpayment for services at $690 million. Commissioners from business, academia and government identified poverty as a major driver of nonpayment. They urged City Hall to double eligibility for Fair Fares, highlighting the importance of “better supporting low-income bus and subway riders by expanding and improving the Fair Fares program. We urge the City of New York to double the income standard to make another 500,000 New Yorkers eligible.”
The program has not used up its annual funding in prior years and speakers encouraged the Adams administration to do more to spend down the new money to boost transit affordability, in light of inflation and the recent fare hike. Experts note that there are many ways to stretch the funds to reach beneficiaries up to 200% of poverty, including a phased expansion during this fiscal year, limits on enrollment and utilization, and additional funding through a budget modification if the expanded program proves popular enough to warrant it.