If implemented, the pool of eligible New Yorkers would grow to almost two million people with a total cost of $232 million.<\/p>\n
The higher income limit would extend the transit discount to people making 20 percent more than minimum wage, and cover one in four working New Yorkers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really such a cost-effective, smart way to use precious resources,\u201d said Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein. \u201cSuddenly you have everyday commuters saving $750 on their annual commute, that\u2019s real progress on affordability. This is a way to smartly use this money.\u201d<\/p>\n The CBC\u2019s support for expanding Fair Fares is significant in that the group generally doesn\u2019t dive headlong into endorsing big expansions of social programs. But in this case, the group argues that the higher threshold provides a bang for the buck that gives targeted help to working New Yorkers in the face of a multi-billion-dollar budget crunch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an eye, obviously, on affordability \u2026 and when we got deep into the data on who needed relief, who was working, what we think is within the budget envelope, we ended up at 250 percent [of the poverty line],\u201d said Rein. \u201cThree out of four New Yorkers earning up to 250 percent of the poverty level use transit to commute to work, use the subway. So this is really hitting that sweet spot for people who need the relief.\u201d<\/p>\n Fair Fares was introduced in 2019 to cover half-priced rides for New Yorkers who were living at the federal poverty level, then just $12,490 for individuals or $25,750 for households of four. Since the pandemic, the program has cast a wider eligibility net, expanding to 120 percent of the federal poverty level in 2023, 145 percent in 2024, and 150 percent in 2025. The city reimburses the MTA for the rides that program participants take, which has made it a favorite transit program of the MTA.<\/p>\n The CBC report is the latest salvo in an ongoing debate over how to deliver \u201ctransit affordability\u201d to New Yorkers (which, to be clear, is already much more affordable than car ownership, no matter how you slice it), at a time when \u201caffordability\u201d is as popular a concept in the city as \u201cthe New York Knicks.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Mamdani prefers making buses free for everyone regardless of income, based on his belief in universal programs instead of means-tested ones. But Mamdani\u2019s plan would require buy-in from Albany to cover the billion-dollar-per-year price tag, and this year\u2019s state budget negotiations haven\u2019t moved in that direction<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CBC-fair-fairs.jpg\")
CBC ran a few different scenarios looking at Fair Fares expansion. Chart: Citzens Budget Commission<\/a><\/p>\n