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Council expands Fair Fares to households up to 200% of FPL, extending transit discounts to about 1.3 million riders
Summary
The council said it expanded Fair Fares eligibility to residents earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, calling it the largest expansion in the program's history and estimating it will make transit more affordable for roughly 1.3 million working New Yorkers.
The City Council announced an expansion of the Fair Fares program to cover residents earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, a change council leaders described as the largest increase in the program's history.
"We expanded eligibility for Fair Fares to residents that are earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level," Speaker Menon said, adding that the change will make subways, buses and paratransit more affordable for "nearly 1.3 million working New Yorkers."
Council members framed the expansion as part of an affordability package in the FY27 budget that also includes investments in housing vouchers and direct supports for seniors, libraries and children. The expansion was introduced alongside other budget items during the session; the transcript records the policy introduction but does not record a final vote or implementation timeline.
Council leaders said the broadened Fair Fares program will reduce transit costs for low- and moderate-income workers across the city, but details such as the application process, enrollment timeline and precise fiscal estimates for the program's expansion were not included in the recorded remarks and will be subject to follow-up from the Council and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
