June 26, 2025
Honorable Eric Adams
Mayor, City of New York
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Adams,
As New York City Councilmembers and advocates, we write to express our serious disappointment and concern that you have once again refused to expand the Fair Fares program to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in your Executive Budget this year.
At a moment when one in four New Yorkers cannot afford essentials like food, housing, and medical care, the Fair Fares program has a modest price tag but has the power to transform the lives of over 360,000 New Yorkers who now take part in the program. No other city program improves transportation equity while simultaneously addressing our city’s affordability crisis.
During your budget address, you spoke at length about “making New York City more affordable for working-class people,” but with the income cap at $22,000 for an individual or just over $45,000 for a family of four, nearly all working-class New Yorkers currently make too much to qualify for the Fair Fares program.
Raising the Fair Fares level to 200% of the FPL–$30,120 for an individual or $62,400 for a family of four–as the City Council has suggested in its Preliminary Budget Response by adding a $60.8 million increase to a new baseline of $157.1 million, would expand eligibility to over 415,000 residents, including 160,000 regular commuters and minimum wage New Yorkers who are incredibly likely to be transit dependent.
Currently, New York City is the least generous of the major U.S. cities that offer a public transit discount for low-income residents, despite having one of the highest costs of living and the highest poverty rates. Nearly all other cities use 200% FPL as their income eligibility limit, and most also offer discounts on their commuter rail systems, which New York City currently does not do.
It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road on this program and expand Fair Fares to 200% FPL. It’s crucial we do this now, before the MTA fare increases scheduled to take place later this summer, making subways and buses more expensive for everyone. No one should have to choose between paying the fare or buying a meal.
We need your support to ensure we avoid a repeat of last year, where it took HRA six months to implement a 20% change due to onerous procedural requirements and missed deadlines. Working people deserve a half-price ride. They won’t qualify unless we raise the income level to 200% of the FPL. Let’s make New York more affordable for the working class together.
Respectfully signed,
Majority Whip and Transportation Committee Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers
Council Member Alexa Avilés
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez
Council Member Shahana Hanif
Council Member Crystal Hudson
Council Member Rita Joseph
Council Member Shekar Krishnan
Council Member Linda Lee
Council Member Farah Louis
Council Member Julie Menin
Council Member Sandy Nurse
Council Member Chi Ossé
Council Member Keith Powers
Council Member Lincoln Restler
Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr.
Council Member Sandra Ung
Council Member Nantasha Williams
David Jones, President & CEO, Community Service Society
Betsy Plum, Executive Director, Riders Alliance
Lisa Daglian, Executive Director, Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC)
Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President, Regional Plan Association
Harold Stolper, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Natasha Elder, Regional Director, NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign
Rachael Fauss, Senior Policy Advisor, Reinvent Albany
Elizabeth Adams, Deputy Executive Director, Public Affairs, Transportation Alternatives
Renae Reynolds, Executive Director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Cc: Honorable Adrienne Adams
Speaker, New York City Council
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Honorable Justin Brannan
Chair, New York City Council Committee on Finance
250 Broadway, Suite 1776
New York, NY 10007