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Transit advocates rallying for Fair Fares expansion inside the Atlantic Av-Barclays Center station in late 2025.<\/p>\n
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
The City Council<\/a> wants to offer free subway and bus fares to over one million New Yorkers living at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, a change that would mark a significant expansion of the city\u2019s Fair Fares program,<\/a> amNewYork has learned.<\/p>\n City Council Speaker Julie Menin is unveiling the Fair Fares revamp, the details of which her office shared ahead of a planned Wednesday morning news conference, as part of the city legislature\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Response to Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s preliminary budget revealed in February. The response comes at a time when the city is staring at a $5.9 billion budget deficit, according to the Independent Budget Office.<\/p>\n Those making up to 150% of the federal poverty level, who pay half price under the current program, would see their fares reduced to zero with the council\u2019s proposal.\n<\/p>\n In a statement, Menin said Fair Fares has been a \u201clifeline for working New Yorkers,\u201d while emphasizing that expanding it is the \u201cbest\u201d way to make the city\u2019s transit system more accessible for those least able to afford the fare.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Council is making a significant Fair Fares expansion among our top priorities in a budget that is fiscally responsible and invests directly in New Yorkers,\u201d Menin said. \u201cRiders and advocates have been clear that this program is the best, most accessible pathway to increasing transit access, combating the affordability crisis, and ensuring high-quality service.\u201d<\/p>\n The council is also looking at ways to boost Fair Fares participation, including through automatic enrollment, according to Menin\u2019s office.\n<\/p>\n But while the proposal embraces critical pieces of a coalition of transit and community advocates\u2019 demand<\/a> for growing Fair Fares, it does not include a request to begin offering half-priced trips to those earning between 150% and 300% of the federal poverty level.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jack Lobel, a Menin spokesperson, said the council budget response is leaving that part open for negotiation as fiscal talks get underway in earnest, leading up to the July 1 deadline.\n<\/p>\n Council\u2019s answer to Mayor\u2019s fare-free bus vision<\/p>\n The speaker\u2019s statement comes in contrast to Mayor Mamdani\u2019s signature campaign promise to make city buses free for all riders. <\/a><\/p>\n While advocates have embraced Mamdani\u2019s free bus plan, they have called on him to expand Fair Fares simultaneously.\n<\/p>\n On the other hand, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber has insisted that building on Fair Fares is a far better way to make transit affordable for those in need, rather than a universal program<\/a> offering free rides to those who can afford the fare.<\/p>\n