After reading $3 Means Different Things for Different Riders, you asked “What relief programs exist?”
How the MTA Softens the Blow: Discount Programs & Limits
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Fair Fares, reduced-fare for seniors/disabled, and Student OMNY ease burdens, but eligibility thresholds exclude many riders.
Low-income relief: Fair Fares, students, families
The MTA operates several discount programs to ease fare burden, though their reach is limited. For riders 65 or older, or those with qualifying disabilities, reduced fares ($1.45 per subway or bus ride) are available.
Then there's Fair Fares NYC, which gives eligible low-income New Yorkers 50% off subway and certain bus fares (including Access-A-Ride), meaning the $3 ride becomes $1.50. Its income caps and eligibility rules restrict how many people qualify, though recent expansions have nudged those thresholds upward.
For students, Student OMNY Cards (replacing Student MetroCards) now allow four free rides per day, usable any time, any day, during school or out of session.
Still, critics argue these programs don't reach many working people who fall just above eligibility lines, leaving a slice of riders exposed to full fares.
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Published October 2, 2025
Sofia Chennow is a contributor for Tunnel Vision.
This article is part of the Fares series.