By Michael V. Cusenza
Congressmembers Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Dan Goldman (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn) on Monday led a letter to Governor Hochul requesting the expansion of New York City’s Fare-Free Bus Pilot Program.
The program launched one fare-free bus route in each borough through last year’s State Budget, introducing New York to the economic and social benefits of free public transit.
The correspondence, which was signed by eight other New York Members of Congress, specifically asks for $45 million to expand the initiative as the 2025 New York State budget negotiations continue.
“According to the MTA, the purpose of the pilot is to study how fare-free service affects ridership, access, equity, and fare evasion,” the lawmakers said in their letter. “And while the study has not yet concluded, reports indicate not only strong support for fare-free service expansion, but also increased ridership under the program. Millions of New Yorkers and visitors rely on the MTA to access economic and educational opportunity. An expansion of the Fare-Free Bus Pilot with additional routes will give the MTA a more wholistic understanding of fare-free transit’s benefits in New York.”
Meng and Goldman later added, “Most importantly, expanding this pilot program is an investment in a more equitable public transit system. Giving New Yorkers more free bus routes will increase the dynamism of our communities and reduce the financial burden of accessing transit for low-and-middle-income New Yorkers. At the same time, this program makes our city more affordable and more connected. That is why we encourage this crucial investment in the MTA’s Fare-Free Bus Pilot in the final [Fiscal Year] 2025 budget.”
The letter also seeks $45 million to expand bus service reliability and frequency.
Those signing the letter include Reps. Meeks, Velázquez, Bowman, Nadler, Clarke, Espaillat, Ocasio-Cortez, and Torres.
Additionally, on Thursday the MTA announced that it held the most expansive single day of action in all five boroughs of New York City to promote and enroll riders into the City’s half-priced Fair Fares program in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement, the New York City Department of Social Services and City Human Resources Administration. While 327,000 New York City residents are enrolled, more than a million are estimated to be eligible. Today’s “Fair Fares Day of Action,” informed riders of eligibility requirements and provided the opportunity to enroll on the spot. The program offers a 50-percent off discount on the full fare to New York City residents aged 18 to 64, who live in a household that meets income guidelines, and eligible Access-A-Ride customers.
As outlined in the Blue-Ribbon Report on MTA Fare and Toll Evasion, the authority is expanding awareness around the Fair Fares program among the riding public to actively increase enrollment.
“Fair Fares is a lifeline for low-income New Yorkers, and since expanding eligibility to 120-percent of the federal poverty level and focusing our outreach on neighborhoods with higher concentrations of potentially eligible individuals we’ve seen a record number of New Yorkers enroll in the program and begin saving on transit costs,” said DSS First Deputy Commissioner Jill Berry.
