NYC Council Expands Discounted Transit for Low-Income Riders as Manchester’s Bee Network Gains Attention
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
NYC Council Expands Discounted Transit for Low-Income Riders as Manchester’s Bee Network Gains Attention
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
Summary
New York City’s Council last week expanded the city’s discounted public-transit program for low-income residents, marking one of the few concrete fare-policy moves after calls for broader bus relief.
The step stops short of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s promise to make city buses free for all riders, an idea the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opposed.
Manchester’s Bee Network offers a contrasting model: since 2023, Greater Manchester has rolled out more frequent buses, tap-to-pay fares and discounted travel for ages 18 to 21, while many 16- to 18-year-olds ride free.
Those changes became a signature policy of former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, whose transit overhaul is now drawing notice from politicians elsewhere as a voter-friendly urban policy.