Testimony: Fair Fares Is Helping, But Access and Affordability Gaps Remain

Testimony: Fair Fares Is Helping, But Access and Affordability Gaps Remain

Rachel Swaner

Before the NYC Council Committee on General Welfare

Thank you to Speaker Menin, General Welfare Chair Hudson, and Transportation Chair Abreu and to all the Committee members for this opportunity. My name is Rachel Swaner, and I am the Vice President of Policy, Research, and Advocacy at the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), an organization dedicated to helping everyday New Yorkers achieve economic security and well-being, leading to a stronger and more equitable New York.

Fair Fares is one of the city's most important tools for making New York more affordable. For hundreds of thousands of low-income New Yorkers, it reduces the cost of getting to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential activities.

But our latest research shows that while the program is making a meaningful difference, it is still not reaching everyone who needs it-and for many who are enrolled, the discount is not enough.

In January and February of this year, we surveyed 1,653 New Yorkers receiving SNAP, Cash Assistance, or CityFHEPS-populations that closely overlap with those eligible for Fair Fares. We asked whether they were enrolled in Fair Fares and how the program affects their daily lives.

First, on access: more than one in three respondents did not have Fair Fares.

These are New Yorkers who are already connected to public benefits and interacting with city systems. If the program is not reaching a third of people in this group, it is unlikely to reach the many eligible residents who are not connected to services-at least not without changes to how the program is administered.

Second, on impact: for those who do have Fair Fares, the program is clearly helping.

Nearly all respondents said the discount makes it easier to get around, and more than four in five said it helps them cover other essential expenses like housing, food, and utilities. These are meaningful improvements to people's ability to manage daily life.

But the data also make clear that the current 50 percent discount is not sufficient.

Sixty-four percent of Fair Fares users told us that even with the discount, it is still hard to afford public transportation when they need it. In other words, even at half price, transit remains out of reach for many of the city's lowest-income residents.

Respondents reinforced this in their own words. Many called for deeper discounts or for the program to be free entirely. As one Queens rider put it, "Even with half off, it's 3 bucks a day for a round trip. That's a lot." And in the Bronx, one respondent stated it should be "100% free for people receiving any benefits from HRA."

We also heard about barriers in the application and renewal process. Respondents described the process as lengthy, complicated, and slow, and some reported delays that caused their benefits to lapse.

Taken together, these findings point to two clear priorities.

First, the city should automatically enroll eligible residents in Fair Fares.

Eligibility closely overlaps with programs like SNAP and Cash Assistance, which are administered by the same city agency. New Yorkers should not have to apply separately for benefits they are already known to qualify for. For that reason, we support Intro 0248, which would create a system to automatically enroll individuals in city-created benefit programs. We applaud Chair Hudson for championing this issue.

Second, the city should make transit free for the lowest-income New Yorkers.

Our data show that even a 50 percent discount is not enough for many households struggling to meet basic needs. Expanding Fair Fares to fully cover the cost of transit for those under 150 percent of the federal poverty level would ensure that the program truly meets the needs of the people it is designed to serve.

Fair Fares has already proven its value. The next step is to ensure that it reaches everyone who needs it and that the cost of getting around the city is no longer a barrier to stability and opportunity.

Thank you again for your time, and please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Issues Covered

Economic Mobility & Security

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