Half-Price MetroCard Program Won't Include Single Rides

NEW YORK — Poor New Yorkers will be able ride the subway for half-price come January — but only if they buy in bulk. The city's so-called Fair Fares program will initially offer discounts only on seven- and 30-day MetroCards, meaning struggling straphangers will have to pay full price for cheaper single-ride passes, according to city and MTA officials.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council agreed to put $106 million in the current city budget to fund the first six months of Fair Fares, which will extend subway and bus fare discounts to riders living below the federal poverty line.

The MTA Board approved a resolution Thursday to move forward with the program, which is set to launch in January. Offering seven- and 30-day passes at the start allowed the city to get it off the ground more quickly, said Jaclyn Rothenberg, a spokeswoman for de Blasio.

"As we roll out the program, we’ll examine how the cards are being used and if changes make sense, we’ll make them," Rothenberg said in a statement.

Under Fair Fares, the weekly pass will provide seven days of unlimited rides for $16. A 30-day MetroCard regularly costs $121; at half-price it would be $60.50. A single ride ticket regularly costs just $3.

MTA Board member David Jones, who helped lead the push for Fair Fares, expressed concern about the limits, saying many poor straphangers buy cheaper round-trip MetroCards. Seniors can get discounted fares in any category, he said.

"Many low income people are not capable of buying the seven-day fare or certainly the 30-day fare, even on a reduced notion," said Jones, who is also the president and CEO of the Community Service Society, an advocacy group for low-income New Yorkers.

The MTA has been working with staff from the city's Human Resources Administration to set up the program, which the city will pay for, MTA documents say. The MTA's role is to provide "the operational and administrative support," said Tim Mulligan, New York City Transit's senior vice president of operations support.

"We are excited to participate in this program," Mulligan said Tuesday at an MTA Transit and Bus Committee meeting. "The primary purpose (is) providing access."

The City Council looks forward to working with the MTA, the de Blasio administration and advocates to "implement a plan that works for all," Council spokeswoman Breeana Mulligan said.

"Fair Fares has always been a priority for the Council, and we are excited to get this up and running," she said in a statement.

(Lead image: Photo by Jochen Tack / imageBROKER/Shutterstock)