A new transit program aimed at helping working-age poor New Yorkers received majority support from the City Council today.
Under the title “New York City Council Members for Fair Fares,” 35 Council Members, including City Council members Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park), Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, Crown Heights) and Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), signed a letter today declaring that access to the city’s “subways and buses is a basic economic necessity for New Yorkers.”
The letter, addressed to Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Finance Committee Chair Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), demands that the program be included as part of the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2019 preliminary budget (FY ‘19).
The letter is in response to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s refusal for the second year in a row to not include funding in the city’s budget for the reduced transit fare program. Coincidentally, last month, the Mayor unveiled the city’s preliminary budget aimed at making New York City the “Fairest Big City in America.”
Menchaca lauded the proposal, demanding action as a representative of one of the more transit starved districts in the City. Most recently, Red Hook and Sunset Park were finally included in the NYC Ferry as part of a transit expansion plan.
“In New York City, one in four low-income residents cannot afford public transportation fares. Still, they need to use public transit to go to work, take their kids to the doctor and move around to get basic services. New Yorkers living in poverty are struggling enough to make ends meet. They deserve our support. They deserve better,” said Menchaca.
Under the `Fair Fares’ proposal, working-age New York City residents living at or below poverty ($24,339 for a family of four) would be eligible for half-priced MetroCards. It would save eligible city transit riders $726 annually off the cost of a monthly MetroCard.
Samuel, one of the signatories of the letter, cited turnstile jumping as a factor in her push for the program.
“Half price bus and subway fares will be extremely helpful to low income New Yorkers who are generally most affected by Fare Beat arrests. This funding will alleviate that issue to some extent,” said Samuel.
According to a report released last year, people of color represent 92% of turnstile jumping arrests.
Additionally, Treyger applauded the proposal, calling public transit a “fundamental need.” Treyger has been outspoken about transit options in South Brooklyn, most notably, leading the push for a Coney Island and and Canarsie transit options last year.
“Public transit is a fundamental need for many of our city’s working families, but the cost can be prohibitive for low-income New Yorkers. It’s bad enough that many New Yorkers routinely face public transit delays, maintenance issues, or limited service in certain parts of the city. We cannot let the price of a MetroCard come between New Yorkers’ ability to earn an income, get an education, or receive medical treatment,” said Treyger.
The Community Service Society (CSS) and Riders Alliance, a transit rider membership organization, launched the `Fair Fares’ campaign two years ago based on CSS research which found that one in four low-income residents often cannot afford bus and subway fares.
The 35 Council members are hoping the program will ultimately be included as a priority in the final budget negotiations expected later this year.
