New York MTA Makes Five Bus Routes Fare-Free

One Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus line in each of New York City’s five boroughs will be free to ride for the next six months or more thanks to a new pilot program funded by the state, reports Ameena Walker in Urbanize New York.

“The pilot will service around 43,900 daily riders and the five bus routes included are the Bx18A/B in the Bronx, the B60 in Brooklyn, the M116 in Manhattan, the Q4 in Queens, and the S46/96 in Staten Island,” Walker explains.

State legislators say they want to see how free fares affect ridership and hope to make all bus and train lines free in the future. “During the program period, riders will be able [to] board a fare-free bus without paying, however, if you're transferring to another bus or the subway, the fare must be paid at the transfer point.”