Nearly 1 million low-income New Yorkers would get free subway and bus rides under a budget proposal announced by the City Council on Wednesday.
Council Speaker Julie Menin said the legislative body wants to expand a city-run program called “Fair Fares,” which currently offers half-priced New York City transit rides to residents making less than 150% of the federal poverty line, or about $22,600 a year for a one-person household. Menin said she wants to amend the program to cover the full cost of those rides.
“Fair Fares has been a lifeline for working New Yorkers, providing eligible riders with discounted access to one of our city’s greatest assets: our transit system,” Menin wrote in a statement. “The Council is making a significant Fair Fares expansion among our top priorities in a budget that is fiscally responsible and invests directly in New Yorkers.”…