Half-priced MetroCard program for low-income New Yorkers has yet to roll out

Last June, low-income New Yorkers were given something to look forward to when the city announced that it had reached a deal to fund half-priced MetroCards for residents living below the federal poverty line (under $12,000/year for an individual and under $24,399/year for a family of four). The program was slated to begin on January 1, however, a recent tweet from the MTA’s NYCT Subway Twitter account helped reveal that the city still hasn’t finalized the criteria for New Yorkers to join the program, reports the New York Post.

In response to a question from someone inquiring about where they could get an application to sign up for the program, NYCT Subway responded by advising the person to contact 311 for more information. This prompted a tweet from Eric Philips, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio, where he admitted that the program hasn’t started yet and the eligibility standards haven’t been released.

The city allocated $106 million to fund the Fair Fares program for its first six months, however, MTA officials claim that the city still hasn’t been in touch with them about putting the program into effect. In his tweet, Philips said that details will be released “very soon” and once they are, places like 311 will have all the information needed for folks to sign up.

• The MTA just trolled de Blasio over half-priced MetroCard program [New York Post]
• City finally reaches deal on discounted MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers [Curbed]