Everyone knows that New York is the greatest city in the world, but for people like me, it’s hard to enjoy it because it costs so much to get around. New York City is expensive and while I keep hearing politicians talk about tackling affordability, I have to ask – affordable for who? Because my day-to-day expenses remain exactly the same.
Public transportation keeps our city moving forward, but the cost of the fare is pricing everyday New Yorkers out of the system. This is causing our entire City to suffer. The city must expand and improve the Fair Fares program to meet today’s needs and adapt to increasing costs.
I have to travel around the city for my programs, medical appointments, and to pick up my grands after school so their parents can work. Sometimes this means having to decide between paying for the subway fare and getting something to eat, or little things to clean my apartment or even paying my utility bills.
I am not alone. Living in the Bronx, many of my neighbors are faced with these same decisions every single day. Sometimes we have to weigh the risk of arrest when there is something we really have to do, like seeing a loved one in the hospital, but we don’t have the money for the fare. You may miss the opportunity to see that person one last time.
I’m currently eligible for a half-priced fare. I’m grateful for that, but it is still a burden. Many other people in my neighborhood are eligible for fair fares but are not enrolled, because they don’t know about it or find the process too difficult. It’s not enough just to offer a service; we also need automatic enrollment for all eligible people to get people connected.
With the New York City budget deadline approaching at the end of the month, there is a plan on the table to expand the Fair Fares program that would help almost 2 million New Yorkers like me. In fact, council districts in the South and Central Bronx have the highest proportion of residents eligible for this program. In the Bronx alone almost 600,000 people would benefit from expanded half-priced fares and nearly 400,000 would benefit from free fares.
I hope that the Mayor and City Council can come together to put aside $300 million for free fares for those that really cannot afford the fare, and expanded half-priced fares for working class New Yorkers.
The City must include this in this year’s budget. It would make a big difference in my life and countless New Yorkers like me. Not only could I make my appointments and responsibilities without having to sacrifice a meal or risk arrest, but I could put a couple dollars away every day to pay my bills – and even save some up for a rainy day. I could even spend time exploring all the beautiful things the City I love has to offer.
In New York City, public transit should be open to all; let’s make sure that those who rely on it most are able to actually access it.