New York announces fare-free bus pilot on select routes

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will initiate a fare-free bus pilot programme on five routes from September in a bid to boost transit equity.

The selected routes, one in each borough, will collectively serve approximately 43,900 daily weekday passengers for a duration of six to 12 months.

“We have championed innovation and creative thinking across the transportation network and look forward to seeing how New Yorkers respond to this pilot programme,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.

During the pilot programme, buses on the selected routes will be labelled as “fare free” through signage and decals.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature required the MTA to launch the programme as part of the state budget, which was approved in May.

The legislation came after transit advocates lobbied for free bus services as a way to make mass transit more accessible for low-income New Yorkers.

“The MTA is the lifeblood of New York City, and I’m proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made in returning ridership to pre-pandemic levels,” Governor Hochul said.

“By establishing these fare-free bus pilot routes, we are expanding access to public transportation across the city and improving transit equity to better serve all New Yorkers.”

Benefits

Ridership, fare evasion, service adequacy, equity for low-income communities and accessibility to employment and commercial areas were among the factors considered by the MTA when selecting the routes.

Community and advocacy groups have welcomed the move, saying it will benefit everyone involved.

“This important pilot will save riders money, help protect bus drivers from assault over fare disputes, and speed up service by cutting wait times at the farebox,” Danny Pearlstein, Policy and Communications Director at Riders Alliance, told Cities Today.

“We’ll be watching closely to see how broadly the benefits are shared.”

He added: “Right now, the free bus service [concept] is popular with many New York officials, but our transit network is still heavily dependent on fare revenue even despite lower ridership due to work from home.

“The Metropolitan Transportation Authority would need an additional multibillion dollar government subsidy to provide its services free of charge for riders.”

Image: MTA