June 2024
Racial Equity and Public Transportation Subsidies
A case study of inequities in the NYC Ferry and Fair Fares transit programs
Contributors: Prisca Agombe; George Sweeting
Issues Areas: Racial Equity, Transit
A new Robin Hood-funded report produced by the Center for New York City Affairs, in partnership with the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School and the Center for Community Uplift at Brookings, reveals racial and economic inequities in New York City’s public transportation subsidies.
Examining subsidies across the city’s ten transit systems by race and income, the report finds inequities between subsidies for the NYC Ferry service compared with the Fair Fares program for the MTC’s subway and bus riders, and underscores the importance of assessing policies and budgets through a racial equity lens.