Victory at the Turnstile

New York City’s mass transit system is one of the greatest public transportation networks in the world and the indispensable engine that keeps our city and region moving. 

Every weekday, the city’s buses and subways carry more than five million riders, connecting workers to jobs, students to schools, patients to health care, and families to opportunity. This vast transit network is not merely a transportation system. It is the economic lifeblood of New York City and the surrounding region, powering commerce, reducing congestion, and sustaining the dynamism that makes New York one of the world’s great economic engines

It is also true that transportation costs represent an unavoidable expense that can put a strain on the financial lives of those struggling to make a living in the most expensive city on the planet. That is why the recent expansion of the Fair Fares discount public transit program — raising eligibility from 150 percent to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level —is a landmark victory for working-class New Yorkers.

Since its launch in 2019, Fair Fares has served as an economic equalizer, offering a crucial 50 percent discount on subway, bus, and Access-A-Ride fares to low-income New York City residents. But with the cost of living continuing to press hard against low-wage households across all five boroughs, the program was no longer reaching far enough up the income ladder to protect struggling families.

The expansion of Fair Fares would not have been possible without the strong leadership of the Mamdani Administration, alongside the NYC Council Speaker and the entire City Council. By pushing the eligibility limit to 200 percent of the federal poverty line (an annual income cap of $31,920 for an individual or $66,000 for a family of four), city leadership has opened the door for approximately 1.3 million working-age New Yorkers to take advantage of the Fair Fares program. An estimated 45 percent of newly eligible residents are regular commuters, meaning this expansion will directly lower transportation costs for nearly 500,000 daily workers.

A Game Changer for New Yorkers

This expansion will make a real difference in people’s lives. In a 2026 Community Service Society of New York (CSS) survey of more than 1,600 low-income New Yorkers receiving public benefits, the impact of discounted transit was unmistakable: 92 percent of Fair Fares recipients reported that the program makes moving around New York City vastly easier. And 81 percent emphasized that the money saved at the turnstile goes straight toward fundamental household essentials like rent, food, and utility bills.

When we make public transit affordable, we are not just lowering commuting expenses, we are keeping families housed and fed.

But even with half-priced fares, 64 percent of current Fair Fares users report that transit remains a heavy financial burden. As one Queens resident shared with CSS researchers, “Even with half off, it’s 3 bucks a day for a round trip. That’s a lot.”

To fully realize the promise of an equitable city, we must build on the momentum created by the Mayor and City Council by adopting key future reforms:

Automate Enrollment: Streamline access by automatically enrolling New Yorkers who already qualify through SNAP, Cash Assistance, or CityFHEPS housing vouchers.
Zero Fares for the Lowest Income: Make public transit entirely free for households earning below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Raise the Cap to 300 percent FPL: Extend half-priced fares to include all minimum-wage workers across New York City.
Protect Seniors on Access-A-Ride: Eliminate the age-64 cutoff for Access-A-Ride users so elderly residents are not forced back to paying full fare.
Improve affordability and reliability: Adopt free buses for all New Yorkers and increase investments in improvements, particularly in communities with limited transportation options.

The origins of Fair Fares goes back to an April 2016 CSS study that found that 58 percent of low-income New Yorkers rely on subways and buses to get around the city. For more than 300,000 people, public transit fares exceed 10 percent of their annual household budget, according to the study. When it was first launched, only city residents living at or below the poverty line were eligible for half-priced transit fares. Ten years later, the expansion of the program proves that our city can lead the nation in compassionate, common-sense policy. 

When we first imagined Fair Fares, working in partnership with Riders Alliance, elected officials and other advocates, we knew it had the potential to be a transformative program for New York’s working-class families. All it needed was the political will. We owe deep gratitude to the Mamdani Administration, the City Council Speaker, and the Council at large for turning vision into reality. Together, they have proven that an affordable transit system is within our reach. Now let’s keep moving forward.

David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society (CSS), New York’s leading advocate for low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years, and a member of the MTA Board. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author. The Urban Agenda is available on the CSS website at www.cssny.org

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