City Council debates expanding Fair Fares as enrollment challenges persist

Thu, 07 May 2026 01:46:00 +0200

City Council Speaker Julie Menin criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration over the limited reach of the existing Fair Fares program, a transit discount initiative for low-income New Yorkers. Menin proposed expanding the program to offer free bus and subway rides to residents at or below 150 percent of the poverty line, highlighting that less than 40 percent of eligible participants currently benefit from the program due to a complex, multi-step enrollment process. City officials are exploring automatic enrollment to address these barriers. Mamdani has not yet endorsed the Council’s proposal and has expressed skepticism toward means-tested programs, noting that his broader campaign pledge to provide free buses citywide won’t materialize this year. Additionally, the newsletter reported minor city fee adjustments for weddings, ongoing audits of NYPD contracts with private surveillance companies, protests against public subsidies for Hudson Yards development, and political commenta