{"id":220439,"date":"2026-05-05T09:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/220439\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T09:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:48:09","slug":"new-yorkers-still-struggle-to-afford-transit-rides-despite-help-from-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/220439\/","title":{"rendered":"New Yorkers Still Struggle to Afford Transit Rides Despite Help From the City"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Yorkers who use the city\u2019s Fair Fares program to ride buses, trains and Access-a-Ride<\/a> are still struggling to afford transit despite receiving half-off on fares, according to a new analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fair Fares<\/a> is a city-run program that reduces the cost of transit rides by half for adults under 65 who make less than $23,940 a year.<\/p>\n

A report from the nonprofit Community Service Society surveyed 1,616 adults under the age of 65 who already receive public benefits, a population that overlaps with those eligible for Fair Fares. Almost two in three of the survey\u2019s respondents said it is still difficult to afford transit when they need it, and a third who were eligible for Fair Fares are unenrolled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Citywide, less than half of eligible New Yorkers participate in the program with an overall enrollment rate of approximately 40%, or 379,910<\/a> people, according to March data from the city\u2019s social services agency.<\/p>\n

The report comes as the City Council considers bills<\/a> that would automatically enroll eligible individuals in city benefit programs like Fair Fares and automatically give the Fair Fares discount to an individual earning as much as $31,920. Council members will discuss those proposals at a committee hearing on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One in five New Yorkers struggled to afford subway and bus fares, according to the Community Service Society\u2019s latest survey<\/a>. A person unable to afford a ride may try to beat the fare<\/a> \u2014 a perennial problem for the MTA that has cost it $1 billion<\/a> in lost revenue before, according to the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit watchdog.<\/p>\n

Despite robust outreach efforts<\/a> by the city to promote the program, researcher Rachel Swaner said survey respondents called the application process \u201ccomplicated and slow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have to apply for it separately, even though they have already reported the same info for programs like SNAP or cash assistance,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fair Fares riders must also renew their enrollment each year<\/a> by resubmitting proof of income eligibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report calls for automatically enrolling residents when they are approved for other public benefits, and to expand Fair Fares by making transit free for those at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFair Fares has yet to achieve its promise of lower transit costs for millions of New Yorkers,\u201d said Danny Pearlstein, policy director for the transit-advocacy organization Riders Alliance, who was not involved with the survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city should expand it both to reach more people and to deliver more affordable fares,\u201d he added, calling for eligibility to expand to those making 300% of the federal poverty level \u2014 up to $47,880 for an individual or $99,000 for a family of four \u2014 and for current enrollees to receive free transit rides.\u00a0<\/p>\n

City Council Speaker Julie Menin supported free fares for currently eligible New Yorkers in her response to the mayor\u2019s preliminary budget in April, calling Fair Fares a \u201clifeline for working New Yorkers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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