NYC's poorest residents would get free subway and bus rides under Council plan

The City Council proposed expanding the Fair Fares program to provide free subway and bus rides for nearly 1 million low-income New Yorkers. Currently, the program offers half-priced rides to residents earning less than 150% of the federal poverty line. Council Speaker Julie Menin emphasized the importance of this expansion as a priority in a fiscally responsible budget. The proposal contrasts with Mayor Mamdani's plan to eliminate fares for all, focusing instead on aiding the poorest residents. The current budget allocates $121 million to Fair Fares, but the cost of the expansion remains unspecified.

""Fair Fares has been a lifeline for working New Yorkers, providing eligible riders with discounted access to one of our city's greatest assets: our transit system," Menin wrote in a statement."

""Any proposal that claims we can close this gap without significant new revenue is unrealistic," Mamdani wrote in a statement."

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