Today, the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at the New School and the Center for Community Uplift at Brookings released a report which found that subways and buses, which serve a higher rate of low-income riders of color, are subsidized significantly less per trip than other modes of public transportation, including NYC Ferry, whose ridership skew whiter and more affluent. In response to the report, Speaker Adrienne Adams issued the following statement.

“Fair Fares is an essential program that expands access to our city’s public transit system for working-class residents, and it should reach New Yorkers who need it most. This new report shows that increasing eligibility for Fair Fares to 200% of the federal poverty level, as the Council has urged, would have a significant positive impact on racial equity in New York City. Voters approved changes to the City Charter that require the analysis of racial equity impacts for city policies, and there are clear racially disparate impacts in the City’s subsidies for public transit options. The City must not leave New Yorkers of color behind, and our responsibility could not be clearer during this week of Juneteenth.

“The Council has prioritized expanding Fair Fares eligibility, which would overwhelmingly benefit New Yorkers in outer-borough neighborhoods and Black and Latino residents whose communities have disproportionately faced underinvestment. Now is the time for the City to invest in this expansion to help open doors of opportunity, and we will continue our advocacy and work with the Administration to secure the necessary funding in the city budget.”

###