New Yorkers who Earn Lower Incomes Can Apply to Ride Public Transit for Half Price

By Yehudit Garmaise

New Yorkers who earn lower incomes can now check their eligibility and apply online at nyc.gov/fairfares to receive 50% discounts on subway and bus fares.

More than 267,353 New Yorkers have already enrolled in the city’s Fair Fares program which aims to help New Yorkers in need to pay their transportation costs more easily.

Discounts for pay-per-ride, weekly unlimited, and monthly unlimited options are available for New Yorkers who are at or below the federal poverty level.

Fair Fares can also provide 50% off MTA Access-A-Ride paratransit trips. 

Access-A-Ride customers, however, do not use Fair Fares NYC MetroCards.

Discounts for Access-A-Ride customers are applied automatically after their Fair Fares and Access-A-Ride accounts are linked.

Fair Fares participants whose cards are damaged, not working, or expired with money left on the card, can request replacement cards and refunds by sending their cards to:

Fair Fares NYC

PO Box 7099

New York, NY

10008-7099

Please remember to include the following information in the envelopes with your cards:

• Your first and last name

• Fair Fares Client ID number

• Whether you think there is money left on the card