S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9395
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
December 19, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT enacting the one city, one fare 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 "one city, one fare act".
§ 2. Legislative findings and statement of purpose. The legislature
finds, determines and declares that:
(a) The MTA's three transit operating agencies, New York City Transit
("NYCT"), the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR"), and Metro-North, converge
in New York City, in particular at Grand Central Terminal, but fares
vary within city limits across the different modes of travel.
(b) Many parts of New York City that are in need of enhanced access to
the subway, such as Southeast Queens and the East Bronx, are served
by--or will be served by--the LIRR or Metro-North. However, high fares
on these services and a lack of joint railroad-NYCT ticket options make
intracity railroad travel prohibitively expensive. Taking the LIRR from
Rosedale to Atlantic Terminal takes a third of the time (36 minutes,
versus 1 hour, 32 minutes) but costs more than twice as much ($7.25
versus $3). A daily peak round-trip ticket between Kew Gardens and Ford-
ham consists of either two City Tickets or a one-way ticket and a Combo
Ticket add-on, costing $29 with no weekly or monthly option available,
nearly ten times as expensive as the subway.
(c) The MTA has already implemented a single CityTicket fare zone for
railroad tickets, but only for one railroad or the other. This option
has made New York City's railroad stations some of the only stations to
surpass pre-COVID ridership, some by as much as 224%, and saved New
Yorkers over $100 million according to Governor Hochul. This is clear
evidence of latent demand for enhanced intracity commuter rail options.
Unfortunately, the MTA has not expanded CityTicket despite continued
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14187-02-5
A. 9395 2
calls from elected officials, advocates and communities throughout the
city.
(d) The MTA has further declined to restore joint railroad-NYCT
options such as the Atlantic Ticket, which offered a weekly LIRR ticket
between Southeast Queens and Atlantic Terminal along with a weekly
unlimited subway pass for $60 until 2023.
(e) The legislature has repeatedly affirmed the necessity of providing
fare incentives to transit riders in the FY2025 and FY2026 One-House
Budget Resolutions and has acted previously to correct unrealized oppor-
tunities at the authority, such as the 2022 bicycle and pedestrian
access bill (S4943B/A6235B).
(f) A public policy purpose would be served and the interests of the
people of the state, in particular parts of The Bronx and Queens where
the subway does not reach, would be advanced by directing the Metropol-
itan Transportation Authority to develop and implement a field study of
a single, unified fare zone across New York City's railroads. Such a
field study would broaden the MTA's customer base in areas unserved by
the subway, ensuring equitable access to affordable transit for resi-
dents of subway deserts.
§ 3. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hereby authorized
and directed to conduct a study on a unified, single city fare zone
across the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North for all intracity
commuter rail options with free transfers to New York City Transit.
Such study shall last no less than two years. Following implementation
of such study, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall report
the findings to the governor and the legislature.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.