If you are a New York City resident, you may be eligible for Fair Fares NYC if you:

• Are between (and including) the ages of 18 and 64, and
• Are in a household that meets the income guidelines listed below:

• Are not receiving (or are not eligible for) full carfare from the Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration (DSS/HRA) or any other NYC agency, and
• If choosing the Fair Fares NYC subway and bus discount, are not currently participating or eligible to participate in any other transportation discount program **

** If choosing the Fair Fares NYC discount for Access-A-Ride trips, you may still be eligible even if you receive a discount (or free rides) on subways and buses from the MTA.

MTA Access-A-Ride customers who are participating in the Fair Fares NYC program can request the Fair Fares NYC discount on their Access-A-Ride trips instead of a Fair Fares NYC discount card for subways and buses. Access-A-Ride customers who already have a reduced fare card through the MTA are still eligible for a Fair Fares NYC discount if they meet the other eligibility criteria and are applying for a discount on their Access-A-Ride trips.  If you are not participating in the Fair Fares NYC program and you are an Access-A-Ride customer, visit the Fair Fares NYC website to check your eligibility and apply.

Fair Fares NYC participants who are also Access-A-Ride customers must register their customer identification number with the Fair Fares NYC program to get 50% off their Access-A-Ride trips. Visit the Fair Fares NYC website to log in or create your account and click on 'Update Access-A-Ride Information.'

The MTA must verify that you are an Access-A-Ride customer before your discount will be applied. Your Fair Fares NYC ACCESS HRA account will display messages on the status of your request to use the Fair Fares NYC discount for the Access-A-Ride trips. After the MTA confirms your Access-A-Ride customer status, you will receive a notice letting you know that your request has been approved and that if you have a Fair Fares NYC discount card, it will be deactivated.

The discount fare on Access-A-Ride trips is $1.45. Access-A-Ride drivers only accept cash payment for Access-A-Ride trips.

You can apply for Fair Fares NYC on the ACCESS HRA website or Mobile App. You can use a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

The application process has two steps:

1. Check your eligibility and submit the application.
2. Submit required documents, if any, within 10 calendar days of submitting your application using the NYC ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

Your application is not complete until you submit required documents, if any.

Applications are sent to the program for review and an eligibility decision when you affirm on ACCESS HRA that you submitted all documents for your application or when the 10 calendar day period to submit documents ends, whichever happens first. The review can take up to 30 days.

The Fair Fares NYC application process does not require an eligibility interview.

You can get help completing your application or submitting documents by calling 311 or visiting a Fair Fares NYC location.

Fair Fares NYC participants are enrolled in the program for one year. You will be notified by mail and online messaging when it's time for you to renew your enrollment. 

Your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account will display reminder messages to you when it's time to renew your enrollment. Both the notice and reminder messages will include your deadline to submit the renewal application. Renewals should be submitted as early as possible.

If you miss your renewal deadline, you will have to submit a new application.

Get answers to frequently asked questions about Fair Fares NYC.

How to Renew

You must submit a renewal application through your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account, and be found eligible, to stay enrolled in the program.  

You can also update information, such as your mailing address, through your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account.

What Happens Next

If your renewal application is approved and you selected the subway and bus discount, you will receive your new Fair Fares NYC OMNY card in the mail before your current card expires. Fair Fares NYC OMNY cards do not expire for several years. You can use your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card for several enrollment years if you remain eligible for the program.

If your discount is for Access-A-Ride trips, it will continue automatically when your renewal application is approved.

You may be asked to provide documents to verify your identity, age, residency, and income.

Fair Fares NYC will not ask about immigration status or record any information about immigration status.

You must submit the required documents within 10 calendar days from the date you submit your initial or renewal application using the NYC ACCESS HRA Mobile App. If you do not submit the required documents within this timeframe, your application will expire and you will have to submit a new initial or renewal application.

More information, including a full list of required documents, is available online.

You can view the status of your application or renewal application anytime online by logging into your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account.

You will be mailed a notice once a decision is made on your application or renewal application. You can also see the decision in your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account.

Application or Renewal Application Approved

If your application is approved and you selected the subway and bus discount, you will receive your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card in the mail 2 to 3 weeks after your application is approved.  If your renewal application is approved and you selected the subway and bus discount, you will receive your new Fair Fares NYC OMNY card in the mail before your current Fair Fares NYC discount card expires.

If your application is approved and you select the Access-a-Ride discount, you will be able to use the Fair Fares NYC discount on Access-a-Ride on trips booked starting 3 calendar days after the MTA verifies that you are an Access-a-Ride customer. If your renewal application is approved, you can continue booking discounted Access-A-Ride trips.

Eligible New York City residents are enrolled in the Fair Fares NYC program for one year.

Application or Renewal Application Denied

Your application or renewal application may be denied if you do not meet the program eligibility requirements. You can log into your ACCESS HRA Fair Fares NYC account to view the reason for the denial. Fair Fares NYC will also send you a notice if your application is denied. The notice will explain why you are not eligible for a Fair Fares NYC discount.

If you think the denial was a mistake, you can make a request to review your application or renewal application in person at a Fair Fares NYC location or by phone. You must make this request within 14 calendar days from the date on the notice you received.

The Fair Fares NYC OMNY card you receive will not have any value on it. You must add value on your card to use it.

When you use your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card, the turnstile or bus fare box will know to charge you half the current fare. This means if you add $10 to your card, you will have the whole $10 on your card. Each time you tap your card, you will be only charged half the current price for a single fare. You are eligible for free transfers after each single fare payment within the NYCT guidelines.

If you take 12 paid rides within a consecutive 7-day period and use your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card to pay for each individual ride, all additional rides during that timeframe will automatically be free.

Public Transportation Systems

You can use your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card on:

• New York City subways
• Eligible New York City buses, including local, limited, and Select Bus Service (SBS)
• The Staten Island Railway (SIR)
• Roosevelt Island Tramway
• Hudson Rail Link

You cannot use your Fair Fares OMNY card on:

• Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Express Buses
• The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
• Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH)
• AirTrain
• Metro-North Railroad

Fair Fares NYC Locations are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, except city holidays.

The Fair Fares NYC OMNY card discount is $1.45 for a single fare. The OMNY card reader will know to charge you half the regular fare when you tap your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card.
You can use the following payment methods to add value to your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card:

• Cash
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card

You cannot transfer money from a Fair Fares NYC MetroCard to a Fair Fares NYC OMNY card.

You can add value to your card in person, online, or by phone. You can also set up automatic reloads in a registered OMNY account. 

In Person

You can add value to your OMNY card:

• At an MTA OMNY card vending machine
• At participating retail stores across NYC

Online

You can sign up for an OMNY account. This secure account allows you to:

• Track your progress toward reaching the 7-day fare cap
• Reload your OMNY card
• Manage your payment methods
• Receive account notifications 
• Instantly freeze your card if it's lost or stolen

To link your Fair Fares NYC OMNY card to your OMNY account, choose the "Add travel card" option on the Wallet screen.

Create or log into your OMNY account.

By Phone

You can call the MTA to load your value onto your OMNY card.

You may cancel or opt out of your Fair Fares NYC discount at any time. You can request to cancel by phone, in-person, or by mail.

In Person

You can visit a Fair Fares NYC location to cancel or opt out of your discount. 

Find a Fair Fares NYC location.

By Mail

Fair Fares NYC
PO Box 7099
New York, NY 
10008-7099

Include the following information in the envelope with your request:

• Your first and last name
• Fair Fares NYC Client ID/Access-A-Ride ID Number (found on the Fair Fares home page in your ACCESS HRA Account)
• Your OMNY transit account number, if applicable
• A note requesting to opt-out of your discount

By Phone