New York City Transit Committee Testimony
Good morning, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director for the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC. A huge thank you to all the NYCT workers who’ve kept the subways and buses running through the storm this weekend.
This past Thursday, PCAC was very pleased to join the New York City Council to see the passage of Councilmember Hudson’s bill to streamline enrollment for the Fair Fares Program. The Fair Fares application has been notoriously difficult and has prevented tens of thousands of eligible New Yorkers from receiving the benefits they deserve. The council’s bill, which now awaits the Mayor’s signature, has four key components:
- Allows any HRA customer applying for cash assistance or SNAP to opt in to Fair Fares without applying separately
- Calls for HRA to enter data-sharing agreements with the state and other city agencies to help them identify likely New Yorkers who should qualify
- Compels HRA to do regular and direct outreach to those individuals
- Requires regular reporting to the council on their progress
Coupled with the expansion of the program from 150% to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level—due to be implemented later this Fall—and the pilot for CUNY students being launched today by the Speaker, this investment by the city in transit is incredibly exciting and represents an improvement PCAC has worked for years to achieve. We thank our partners, including CSS, for their steadfast commitment to these goals.
As Fair Fares improves, we also continue to ask the MTA to upgrade the OMNY system, both technically and in fare policy. We continue to hear regularly from riders who want the flexibility and assurance of single-day and 30-day fare caps that support changing ridership patterns around the city. Many also do not understand that they must use the same fare medium to get OMNY’s benefits, which prevents them from receiving the free transfers and free rides they should have earned. We hope the recently announced awareness campaign leads to major improvements.
Finally, we also call on NYC DOT to improve its ability to process ACE violations. Bus riders deserve a faster ride, and we know that ACE makes a difference. Thank you.