Intro. 248 directs the city Department of Social Services to allow people applying for SNAP or cash assistance to opt into Fair Fares on the same form, aiming to raise a 40% enrollment rate.
Only about 380,000 of over 1 million eligible New Yorkers (40%) were enrolled in Fair Fares as of March, prompting the change.
The program’s eligibility was expanded earlier this year to 200% of the federal poverty level, adding roughly 340,000 more people eligible.
The bill uses an opt-in checkbox rather than automatic enrollment to address privacy and public-charge concerns raised by HRA.
On Sept. 24 the City Council overwhelmingly approved Intro. 248, a bill that changes how low-income New Yorkers can sign up for Fair Fares, the city program that provides half-priced OMNY subway and bus rides.
The legislation directs the city Department of Social Services (DSS), which oversees the Human Resources Administration (HRA) that runs Fair Fares, to add an option for people applying for or re-enrolling in HRA-administered benefits to apply for Fair Fares on the same form. In practice the sign-up would be as simple as checking a box on the online SNAP or cash-assistance application.
City officials and advocates point to low participation despite expanded eligibility. HRA told the City Council in May that only about 380,000 people were enrolled out of more than 1 million eligible — roughly a 40% enrollment rate.
Council Speaker Julie Menin framed that figure bluntly: "A 40% enrollment rate is a failing grade, especially for such a vital program." The council and the mayor already agreed earlier this year to widen eligibility to people at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, which adds an estimated 340,000 more New Yorkers who could qualify. Leaders say simplifying enrollment is needed to convert newly eligible residents into actual participants.
Intro. 248 originally proposed automatic enrollment for people already receiving SNAP or cash assistance, but the bill was amended. Sponsor Council Member Crystal Hudson said the change responded to HRA concerns about privacy and public-charge implications. The amended bill requires DSS to offer immediate enrollment into Fair Fares with the applicant's consent when they apply for SNAP or cash assistance, rather than enrolling people automatically.
Hudson said the streamlined process will allow DSS to "immediately enroll individuals, with their consent, into Fair Fares" so they do not have to submit duplicate information.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office supported the measure in a statement: "The Mamdani administration is committed to keeping New Yorkers moving on transit they can actually afford, and we are grateful to CM Hudson for pushing forward legislation to achieve just that." The mayor's spokesperson added that the administration will continue working with local and state partners to improve transit affordability.
Advocates who had pushed for automatic enrollment welcomed the move to streamline sign-up even if it fell short of automatic enrollment. Caitlin Pearce, deputy director of Riders Alliance, said the new approach will reduce paperwork barriers: "Commuters struggling just to afford the basics of life in our city don't have time for extra paperwork and bureaucracy."
If implemented as written, people applying for SNAP or cash assistance will see a checkbox or comparable option to opt into Fair Fares during the same application process. That reduces the separate steps and forms advocates say have deterred participation. The change aims to raise enrollment rates among people already interacting with HRA, and to improve uptake among the roughly 340,000 newly eligible residents after the eligibility expansion earlier this year.
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