Fair Fares Will Take Off Quickly Despite Lack Of Details: Mayor

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio argues a city program offering discounted MetroCards to the poor will hit the ground running — even though exactly how it will work remains a mystery as its rollout draws near.

"Don’t worry, the word will spread quickly, I assure you," de Blasio said Friday in his weekly interview on WNYC.

"When people understand they can get half price MetroCards because of their income level, people will hear it — you know, if you build it, they will come."

The Democratic mayor's remarks came amid criticism that the city has not done enough to educate New Yorkers about the landmark program ahead of its planned launch in January.

The current city budget approved in June includes $106 million to fund the first six months of Fair Fares, which will offer seven- and 30-day MetroCards at half price to people living below the federal poverty line. The program could cut subway and bus transportation costs for up to 800,000 New Yorkers.

City officials have spent the past six months figuring out the program's logistics before it gets rolled out "in a very big way" next month, de Blasio said.

"This is something that has never been done before on this scale. We had to make sure it would work and it could reach a really substantial number of people," the mayor said. "We now have those tools in place, we’ll be announcing them very shortly."

But some officials worry the public won't know enough about the program or how to apply for the benefits by the time it is actually launched.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer sent a letter Thursday to Steven Banks, the commissioner of the city's Human Resources Administration, seeking details about the program's eligibility criteria, the timeline for its rollout and whether it will be available to recent immigrants.

"Those that are eligible, should have the resources available to them in advance of the roll out of Fair Fares and know what's needed to participate," City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said in a statement Friday. "It is the responsibility of the City of New York to follow through and not let this funding and program go unnoticed."

In his letter, Stringer also expressed concern about the fact that the program would not cover pay-per-ride MetroCards, as many poor New Yorkers may not be able to afford pricier weekly or monthly passes. City Hall has argued the approach will help the program get off the ground more quickly.

De Blasio pledged an substantial outreach campaign from the city that could include ads on subways, buses, bus shelters and social media.

"I expect a full bore campaign," he said.

(Lead image: A subway rider swipes a MetroCard in 2010. Photo by Seth Wenig/Associated Press)