Support for the expansion of the Fair Fares Program
SUMMARY
The Social Welfare Law Committee wrote a report in support of the campaign to expand the Fair Fares program, having previously supported the successful campaign to enact Fair Fares in 2018. “Expanding Fair Fares eligibility to households at or below 200% of the [Federal Poverty Level] is consistent with both economic reality and programs in peer cities,” the report says. The report highlights the broad base of public support for this measure as well as the manner in which Fair Fares helps New Yorkers prioritize income for their essential needs.
REPORT
REPORT BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE LAW COMMITTEE
SUPPORT FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE FAIR FARES PROGRAM
#EXPANDFAIRFARES
The Social Welfare Law Committee[1] of the New York City Bar Association supports the campaign to expand the Fair Fares program (“#ExpandFairFares”) spearheaded by the Riders Alliance and the Community Service Society.[2] The City Bar previously supported the successful campaign to enact Fair Fares in 2018.[3] Currently, the Fair Fares program provides half-price MetroCard fares for City residents age 18-64 in low-income households from households at or below 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL). The #ExpandFairFares campaign proposes expanding program eligibility to include households at or below 200% of the FPL and increasing funding for program awareness.
Expanding Fair Fares eligibility to households at or below 200% of the FPL is consistent with both economic reality and programs in peer cities. While the FPL is the same nationwide, a more realistic measure of economic need in New York City is at least twice the FPL.[4] Despite this, the City’s current cap on eligibility for participation in Fair Fares at households with 100% of the Federal Poverty Level is the lowest among other major metropolitan transit agencies with comparable income-based reduced-fare programs.[5]
The #ExpandFairFares proposals have been endorsed by a MTA blue-ribbon panel on fare evasion,[6] a broad coalition of economic justice, transit, labor, legal and social services groups,[7] and public officials such as New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and nearly half of the New York City Council Members.
From a social welfare perspective, transit affordability makes the very limited budget of a family receiving public assistance or subsisting on low-wage work go further to take care of essential needs such as housing, nutrition and health care. Since its inception in January 2019, the Fair Fares program has helped struggling New Yorkers prioritize income for their essential needs.[8] Increasing participation in the program through expanding eligibility and awareness furthers these goals.
At this time, the City Council has included funding to #ExpandFairFares in its budget, but the Mayor has yet to approve its inclusion in the FY2023 Executive Budget. The Committee urges Mayor Adams to include funding for the sensible #ExpandFairFares proposals to help the City become a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of income.
Social Welfare Law Committee
Sandra Gresl, Co-Chair
Lindsay Funk, Co-Chair
[1] The Social Welfare Law Committee’s work focuses on legal issues impacting low-income New Yorkers. The committee’s work seeks to address public policies which concern income disparities and the social safety net.
[2] See i.e. Derrick Holmes, It’s time to expand Fair Fares, Riders Alliance, March 2, 2023, https://www.ridersalliance.org/news/its-time-to-expand-fair-fares; Debipriya Chatterjee, Over a Million New Yorkers Will Benefit from Expanding NYC’s Fair Fares Program, March 8, 2023, https://www.cssny.org/news/entry/fair-fares-expansion-million-new-yorkers-benefit-nyc (All websites last accessed June 6, 2023).
[3]Report by the Social Welfare Law Committee: Support for the Fair Fares Campaign, New York City Bar Association, May 25, 2018, https://www.nycbar.org/reports/support-for-the-fair-fares-campaign/; Written Testimony of the Civil Rights Committee and the Social Welfare Committee, New York City Bar Association, Dec. 10, 2019, https://s3.amazonaws.com/documents.nycbar.org/files/2019610-Testimony_FairFaresFINAL12.10.19.pdf.
[4] David R. Jones, To Unlock Fair Fares’ Potential, Expand Eligibility to 200 Percent of Poverty, Community Service Society, Mar. 19, 2023, https://www.cssny.org/news/entry/to-unlock-fair-fares-potential-expand-eligibility-to-200-percent-of-poverty.
[5] Wesley Darling, et al., Comparison of Reduced-Fare Programs for Low-Income Transit Riders., 2675 Trans. Res. Rec. 335, 345 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211017900 (income-based caps in other cities range from 125% to 286% of the FPL).
[6] Report of the Blue-Ribbon Panel on MTA Fare and Toll Evasion, May 17, 2023, https://new.mta.info/document/111531.
[7] Evan Simko-Bednarski, Transit advocates push for expansion of Fair Fares program as NYC budget negotiations continue, N.Y. Daily News, May 10, 2023, 7:17 PM, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-fair-fares-budget-negotiations-20230510-jmocubbg3zddpj5kmsadfgogve-story.html (describing letter supporting #ExpandFairFares from over fifty organizations).
[8] Debipriya Chatterjee et al., Community Service Society, Mass Transit as an Economic Equalizer: The Case for Expanding and Investing in Fair Fares, Feb. 2022, https://smhttp-ssl-58547.nexcesscdn.net/nycss/images/uploads/pubs/Mass_Transit_As_An_Economic_Equalizer.pdf.
