The mayor of new York bill de Blasio refused to allocate from the city budget money to Finance the pilot program MetroCards.
The programme was planned to allocate $ 50 million for metro cards at half price for low-income residents of new York. Supporters of the programme particularly actively promoted it after the tariff increase, writes Gothamist.
«I’m sorry we couldn’t come to an agreement and to help poor new Yorkers who still try in good faith to pay the fare in public transport», — said the Chairman of the Committee of the city Council transportation Ydanis Rodriguez.
In turn, the press Secretary of the Transport Department of new York (MTA) Beth Defalco said that the MTA has enough loyalty programs for the poor, for example, Access-A-Ride and rates for students.
According to the proponents of the preferential programs, it would significantly reduced the number of people arrested for free travel on the underground and jumping over the turnstiles.
According to recent data, more than a quarter of working new Yorkers with low incomes could not afford the fare on the subway or bus at least once in 2015. And in 2016, the evasion of tolls was the second most common cause of arrests in new York, police arrested about 26 thousand people.
Supporters of the program have promised that will not stop trying to achieve its acceptance.
