Give Coronavirus Essential Workers Free MTA Fares, Pols Say

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Essential workers shouldn't have to pay MTA fares as they keep New York City running during the coronavirus outbreak, said two prominent elected officials.

Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams called for free MTA fares for essential workers during a Monday morning meetup at Jay Street-MetroTech subway station.

The pair passed out protective masks to straphangers who, since the coronavirus lockdown, largely consist of essential workers.

"These essential workers — people who stock our grocery shelves, answer our emergency calls, operate our buses, serve food in our schools, and so many others who keep our city running — don’t have the luxury of telecommuting and are on the frontlines of ensuring we have access to food, public safety, and health care," Adams said in a statement. "The very least we can do as we continue to navigate this public health emergency is allow them to access our public transit system free of charge for the duration of this crisis."

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MTA's ridership has plummeted 95 percent since the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing "stay-at-home" order. The transit agency is expected to lose up to $8.5 billion this year.

Transit officials have desperately tried to stem the losses by asking for bailouts and reassuring passengers about coronavirus safety onboard subways and buses.

But Rodriguez and Adams argued that essential workers represent the bulk of riders, a press release states. More than 70 percent of those workers are people of color and roughly the same percentage live in the outer boroughs, the release states.

About 28 percent of them live in Brooklyn, according to the release.

Rodriguez, who represents Washington Heights and Inwood and chairs the City Council's transportation committee, said essential workers need support during the crisis.

"Thousands of essential workers do not have the luxury of working from home or taking consecutive days off," he said in a statement. "Transportation for essential workers must be free during this pandemic."

Rodriguez is running for a South Bronx congressional seat. Adams himself is eyeing the mayor's office.

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