Albany, NY – A familiar fight for transit equity throughout New York City has arrived on the Governor’s desk. For the second time in two years, and third time in four years, the state legislature has overwhelmingly passed a bill from Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz which would create an additional transfer as part of a standard MetroCard fare. Governor Cuomo has vetoed this legislation twice, citing a seemingly contradictory set of reasons – first, that the bill wouldn’t help very many transit users and second, that the bill would cost too much to implement. In 2017, the Governor created an extra transfer in the case of service disruptions. This bill, A9627, would extend that additional transfer to all straphangers.

The addition of a second transfer two decades ago significantly reduced the number of New Yorkers living in de facto “two-fare zones� but as commuting patterns have changed, transit infrastructure has not kept pace. People are increasingly taking jobs far from the city’s center and working non-traditional hours. These commuters are forced to take multiple buses and trains to reach their destinations, and lower-income New Yorkers are often unable to afford an unlimited MetroCard and instead travel fare-to-fare. In areas such as the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn with a large concentration of low-income New Yorkers of color, these transit fare burdens can reinforce economic and geographic isolation. As an example, a commuter living in Woodlawn who works near the Anable Basin in Long Island City would take the Bx34 bus, transfer to the 4 train, switch to the 7 train, and transfer a second time to the Q104 bus.

Furthermore, many handicapped and disabled commuters are heavily restricted by a lack of ADA compliant subway stations and forced to travel primarily by bus or car. Nearly one in ten New Yorkers has a disability and nearly one in eight is 65 years of age or older, yet only 23% of subway stations are fully compliant with ADA requirements. Compounding this dearth of accessible stations are poor elevator maintenance practices which result in unexpected and unpredictable outages that necessitate last-minute changes in travel plans. The effect of this is that New Yorkers who are mobility-impaired often have to take multiple buses either to reach their destination or to find an accessible subway station.

The bill was delivered to the Governor’s desk on December 18 and the Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to sign or veto it.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (Northwest Bronx) said: “Despite setbacks in 2015 and 2017, I was encouraged by Governor Cuomo’s implementation of a second free transfer during service disruptions. However, we need to finish the job and end two-fare zones for once and for all. New York’s economic centers are changing, exemplified by Amazon’s HQ2 coming to Long Island City, and as a result so are our commuting patterns. I urge Governor Cuomo to sign this bill on behalf of struggling commuters who are tired of paying two fares just to get to work.�

Jaqi Cohen, Campaign Director of the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign said: “New York City's public transportation system is often thought of as the 'great equalizer'. Yet for many New Yorkers, particularly low-income New Yorkers living in the outer boroughs, paying for transit poses a particular challenge as they must take multiple subway or bus rides per trip and thus are forced to pay multiple fares. Eliminating the two-fare zone would provide a tremendous relief for New Yorkers paying more than their fair share, and help bridge New York's transit gap citywide.�

“Riders who take three buses or two buses and the subway to get to work have some of the worst commutes in the city. During a transit crisis like the one we're living through, the least the state can do for these riders is to soften the hit to their wallets. Thanks to Assemblymember Dinowitz for taking up their cause. Governor Cuomo should sign this bill and fully fund the transit system in his next budget to deliver the modern transit system that riders need,� said Stephanie Burgos-Veras senior organizer with the Riders Alliance.

“Public transit is the life-blood of New York City, and workers in all boroughs depend on our subway and buses. To make our streets safer with less dependence on cars, to curb emissions and rampant congestion, and to improve MTA funding, we need to encourage the use of public transit. A second free transfer will do just that. It will limit the incentive to use a private car or for-hire car service, and will make our system fairer,� said Marco Conner, Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives.