Fair Fares expansion to 200% of poverty level is up for public comment today
HRA's proposed rule would raise half-price subway and bus eligibility from 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level and ease renewals for people already on public assistance. Comments close Monday.
Photo: MagicL55 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- HRA proposes raising Fair Fares income eligibility from 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level, with a public hearing and comment deadline on Monday, Oct. 19 (NYC Rules).
- The FY27 budget deal between Speaker Menin and Mayor Mamdani funded the expansion so about 340,000 more New Yorkers would become eligible, bringing total eligibility to roughly 1.3 million (City Council press).
- The same proposed rule would let some participants who enrolled while on public assistance stay enrolled without a separate annual re-enrollment if they keep receiving that assistance (NYC Rules).
- Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu has also pointed to a CUNY student OMNY pilot alongside Fair Fares work (PoliticsNY Q&A).
- Comments can be emailed to NYCRules@hra.nyc.gov; the virtual hearing was set for 11 a.m. Eastern on Zoom (NYC Rules).
New Yorkers who ride on a half-price Fair Fares card — and those who still miss the income cut-off — have until Monday to weigh in on a city rule that would open the program to a lot more households.
The Human Resources Administration's proposed amendments would raise the Fair Fares income standard from 150% of the federal poverty level to 200%, and give the agency more flexibility on when participants must re-enroll. The notice lists a public hearing Monday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern on Zoom, with comments due the same day.
Who would newly qualify
In the Fiscal Year 2027 budget agreement announced June 30, Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Council secured funding for the largest Fair Fares expansion since the program began: eligibility at 200% of FPL, which they said would add about 340,000 low-income residents and raise total eligibility to roughly 1.3 million New Yorkers for half-price subway, bus and paratransit fares, according to the Council press release.
That budget story matches what Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told PoliticsNY this week: the city delivered what he called the largest Fair Fares expansion in history, with 1.3 million New Yorkers now eligible, alongside a pilot of free OMNY cards for CUNY students.
Less paperwork for some riders
Besides the higher income cap, HRA's draft rule would allow certain participants who enrolled while receiving qualifying public assistance to remain enrolled without a separate re-enrollment so long as they keep receiving that assistance and meet the program rules, the agency's notice says. Commenters on the Rules page argued that change would cut needless paperwork when the city already has the eligibility data.
How to comment
Written comments can go to NYCRules@hra.nyc.gov, by fax to (917) 639-0412, or by mail to HRA Rules, Office of Legal Affairs, 150 Greenwich Street, 38th Floor, New York, NY 10007, according to the Rules page. The Zoom meeting ID listed for Monday's hearing is 165 136 9115.
- NYC Rules / HRAAmendments to the Fair Fares NYC Program
- NYC CouncilSpeaker Julie Menin and New York City Council Announce Agreement with Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
- PoliticsNYInside Government with PoliticsNY: A Q&A with Chair of the NYC Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Shaun Abreu
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