Assembly Bill A6044

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6044
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 26, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. MAMDANI -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting  the
   "Make Transit Affordable Act"
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 the "Make Transit Affordable Act".
   § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
 declares  the  importance  of  the  New York Metropolitan Transportation
 Authority (MTA) and affirms the duty of the legislature to  ensure  that
 the  MTA  remains  affordable.  The  MTA  provides an essential service:
 transporting millions of New Yorkers on billions of trips each  year  to
 and  from  places of work, worship, and gathering. For many New Yorkers,
 however, the cost is prohibitive, especially  as  inflation  climbs  and
 wages  remain  stagnant.  Given  these  conditions, the legislature must
 provide enough funding to offset an assumed 2025 fare hike, particularly
 on the subways and buses, the heart of New York City's  transit  system.
 As  the  MTA  begins  to implement congestion pricing, it has never been
 more important to promote public transit as a truly  viable  alternative
 to  vehicular  transport. To that end, the state of New York must fund a
 second, more expansive fare-free bus  pilot  program,  building  on  the
 success of the 2023-2024 pilot program. It is the intent of the legisla-
 ture  to  include $205,000,000 in additional appropriations in the SFY26
 budget to Make Transit Affordable by providing an expanded,  world-class
 free  bus  pilot  program  and preventing a fare increase on subways and
 buses.
   § 3. The public authorities law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
 1266-n to read as follows:
   §  1266-N.  FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM. SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION, THE
 AUTHORITY SHALL ALLOCATE  FORTY-FIVE  MILLION  DOLLARS  IN  STATE  FUNDS

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08832-01-5
              

 A. 6044                             2
 
 RECEIVED  TO  EXPAND  THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM WITHIN THE CITY OF
 NEW YORK.
   1.  THE  FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM EXPANSION SHALL LAST FOR AT LEAST
 ONE YEAR.
   2. THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM EXPANSION SHALL CONSIST OF AT LEAST
 FIFTEEN NEW FARE-FREE BUS ROUTES AND SHALL COST NO MORE THAN  FORTY-FIVE
 MILLION  DOLLARS  IN  NET  OPERATING COSTS. NET OPERATING COSTS SHALL BE
 DETERMINED BY THE TOTAL COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING THE  FARE-FREE  BUS  PILOT
 PROGRAM EXPANSION AND SHALL NOT ACCRUE TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
   3.  THE  FARE-FREE  BUS  ROUTES  INCLUDED  IN  THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT
 PROGRAM EXPANSION SHALL BE SELECTED BY THE AUTHORITY,  AND  MAY  INCLUDE
 EITHER  NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY OR MTA BUS ROUTES, PROVIDED THAT
 THERE SHALL BE AT LEAST THREE NEW FARE-FREE BUS ROUTES  WITHIN  EACH  OF
 THE  FOLLOWING  COUNTIES:  BRONX  COUNTY, KINGS COUNTY, NEW YORK COUNTY,
 QUEENS COUNTY, RICHMOND COUNTY.
   4. THE FACTORS CONSIDERED BY THE AUTHORITY IN SELECTING SUCH FARE-FREE
 BUS ROUTES SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (A) ADDRESSING SERVICE ADEQUACY AND EQUITY FOR LOW-INCOME AND  ECONOM-
 ICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES;
   (B)  ACCESS  TO  EMPLOYMENT AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN AREAS SERVED BY
 SUCH FARE-FREE ROUTES; AND
   (C) ADDRESSING ROUTES FACING HIGH RATES OF OPERATOR ASSAULTS.
   5. THE ROUTES SELECTED SHALL RANK IN THE TOP  TWENTY-FIVE  PERCENT  OF
 RIDERSHIP FOR THE GIVEN BOROUGH.
   6.  THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT
 PROGRAM EXPANSION, THE AUTHORITY SHALL PROVIDE A REPORT TO  EACH  MEMBER
 OF  THE STATE LEGISLATURE JUSTIFYING THE AUTHORITY'S CHOICE OF FARE-FREE
 BUS ROUTES, ACCORDING TO  THE  CRITERIA  IN  SUBDIVISION  FOUR  OF  THIS
 SECTION AND ANY ADDITIONAL CRITERIA SPECIFIED BY THE AUTHORITY.
   7.  THE AUTHORITY SHALL REPORT TO ITS BOARD ON THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT
 PROGRAM EXPANSION AFTER IT HAS BEEN IN  EFFECT  FOR  THREE  MONTHS,  SIX
 MONTHS, AND AGAIN UPON THE CONCLUSION OF THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM
 EXPANSION.  SUCH  REPORTS  SHALL  ALSO BE SENT TO THE GOVERNOR AND EVERY
 MEMBER OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND SHALL INCLUDE, BUT  NOT  BE  LIMITED
 TO, THE FOLLOWING COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE METRICS:
   (A)  RIDERSHIP  TOTALS  RELATIVE TO EQUIVALENT TIME PERIODS BEFORE THE
 FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM EXPANSION TOOK EFFECT;
   (B) PERCENT OF SCHEDULED SERVICE DELIVERED;
   (C) AVERAGE END-TO-END BUS SPEED CHANGES;
   (D) CUSTOMER JOURNEY TIME PERFORMANCE;
   (E) DWELL TIME AT BUS STOPS;
   (F) THE COST TO PROVIDE SUCH SERVICE ITEMIZED BY ROUTE;
   (G) SCHEDULED SERVICE FREQUENCY; AND
   (H) DATA ON BUS OPERATOR ASSAULTS PER FARE-FREE  ROUTE  IN  COMPARISON
 WITH SYSTEM WIDE.
   8.  THE AUTHORITY SHALL ALSO SURVEY RIDERS ON THE FARE-FREE ROUTES, BY
 IN-PERSON METHODS AT THE THREE-, SIX- AND TWELVE-MONTH MARKS  ON  TOPICS
 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (A) OVERALL RIDER SATISFACTION;
   (B) EXPERIENCE OF SECURITY AND SAFETY WHEN RIDING THE FARE-FREE BUS;
   (C)  DEMOGRAPHIC  INFORMATION INCLUDING ANNUAL INCOME, VEHICLE ACCESS,
 RACE AND ETHNICITY, DISABILITY STATUS, AGE, AND ENROLLMENT STATUS IN THE
 FAIR-FARES PROGRAM; AND
   (D) OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS SUCH AS HOW FARE-FREE BUSES AT THE  POINT  OF
 SERVICE HAVE IMPACTED THE RIDER.
 A. 6044                             3
 
   9.  THE  AUTHORITY  SHALL IMPLEMENT ALL-DOOR BOARDING ON ALL FARE-FREE
 BUSES BEGINNING THE FIRST DAY OF THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM  EXPAN-
 SION.
   10.  THE  AUTHORITY  SHALL  PROMOTE  THE  FARE-FREE ROUTES THROUGH THE
 FOLLOWING METHODS AT A MINIMUM: SIGNAGE ON BUSES, SIGNAGE AT BUS  STOPS,
 INTERSECTING SUBWAY STOPS, ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE AUTHORITY "FARES & TOLLS"
 WEBPAGE,  DIGITAL ADVERTISEMENTS ON SUBWAYS, AND ACROSS MTA SOCIAL MEDIA
 ACCOUNTS. ANY  MESSAGING  PROMOTING  THE  FARE-FREE  ROUTES  SHALL  ALSO
 INCLUDE MESSAGING REMINDING RIDERS THAT SUCH PROGRAM IS ON SELECT ROUTES
 AND  THAT  SUCH RIDERS SHOULD TREAT THEIR BUS OPERATORS WITH RESPECT AND
 DECORUM.
   11. THE AUTHORITY SHALL PRESENT THE FARE-FREE BUS PILOT PROGRAM EXPAN-
 SION TO ITS BOARD FOR APPROVAL NO LATER THAN SIXTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFEC-
 TIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, FOR IMPLEMENTATION NO LATER THAN NINETY  DAYS
 AFTER BOARD ADOPTION.
   § 4. Subject to appropriation, the metropolitan transportation author-
 ity  shall  allocate  $160,000,000  annually in state funds to offset an
 elimination of the forthcoming four percent fare increase on subways and
 buses as contemplated in  the  metropolitan  transportation  authority's
 2024 November Financial Plan.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.