Fair Fares Helped Me Survive, Now It’s Time to Expand It

I’ve lived in Brooklyn and now the Bronx for over a decade, and in all this time, one thing hasn’t changed, how hard it is to get around the city when you’re poor. Buses are slow, trains are late, and when you’re deciding between paying your fare or feeding your kids, public transit becomes a daily stress not a public good. Back in 2015, there were days that I’d walk from 149th Street to 169th and Grand Concourse with my little girls because I couldn’t afford the fare. I got so thin from walking everywhere. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing or crazy hot, when you don’t have the money, you do what you have to do. Sometimes I’d have $10 and have to choose between two bus fares or a hot slice of pizza for my hungry kids. Sometimes we jumped the turnstile. One time, I got caught in Manhattan and was fined. It was humiliating. I told the cops the truth, that I didn’t swipe because I couldn’t afford it. That honesty cost me $100.

Things got a little better when I qualified for the Fair Fares program. That little orange card saved me. Now I can put $20 on it and swipe without panic. I can take my daughters to therapy, go to my own medical appointments, or just get groceries without weighing every dollar. Fair Fares isn’t a luxury, it’s life saving. Unfortunately, not everyone who needs it qualifies. My home health aide, Miss Odette, takes care of my daughter with autism. She works two jobs and still can’t afford the fare. She doesn’t get Medicaid, doesn’t qualify for Fair Fares, and sometimes waits for the Bx30 in the cold until midnight after a long day. This is why Fair Fares needs to be expanded to 200% of the poverty line. Too many working-class, immigrant, Black and brown New Yorkers are still being left out. This expansion would make more than 415,000 additional New Yorkers eligible. 

Too many of our neighbors don’t know about the program at all. That’s on the city. That’s on the HRA. And that’s on our local officials. There has been almost no meaningful outreach to the Latino communities. Most of the people I talk to like my friends, neighbors, even parents at my children’s school have never heard of Fair Fares. That’s unacceptable in a city where so many of us rely on transit every day to survive. We need more ads and promotions in Spanish. We need community outreach in churches, schools, and food pantries. We need elected officials and city agencies to treat this program like it matters. The city can’t blame people for not signing up if they’ve never even heard of it. That’s not just bad policy, that’s neglecting our communities. 

The Bronx is often forgotten. We’re tired of being left behind. Fair Fares gave me some dignity back. Let’s give that chance to more New Yorkers.

Norma Ginez is a member of Riders Alliance