The New York City Council is pushing to broaden the Fair Fares program, aiming to let more than one million residents ride subways and buses courtesy of the government, the New York Post reports. Currently, Fair Fares reimburses the MTA for half the transit fare for those earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level, meaning participants only pay half-price to ride. Under the Council’s latest budget proposal, that subsidy would expand to cover the entire fare.
Advocates from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA estimate that transforming Fair Fares from a 50% discount to a full free-ride program would add about $150 million to $175 million in annual costs beyond existing city funding, according to The Post. The initiative currently helps roughly 360,000 New Yorkers, though as many as 1.3 million meet the income requirements. Individuals making up to $23,475 a year, and families of four earning $48,225, would qualify.
However, the plan faces resistance from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who opposes expanding Fair Fares. Instead, Mamdani favors making city buses free for all riders, regardless of income. His vision comes with a hefty price tag at roughly $800 million that he would need to locate within an already stretched city budget if state lawmakers decline to contribute. Governor Kathy Hochul also criticized Mamdani’s proposal, suggesting that it is unrealistic.
In its budget response, the Council accused Mamdani of failing to adequately fund the MTA in his preliminary spending plan and vowed to restore more robust support for the transit authority. The New York City Comptroller’s Office previously reported that the mayor’s draft budget shortchanged the MTA by approximately $621 million.