# Getting around: subway, buses, ferries and bikes

Source: https://www.qaravan.org/resources/new-york/getting-around/

How to pay for the subway and bus, ride for half price on a low income or at 65 and older, which ferries are free, and how to get Citi Bike for $5 a month.

## Start here

- Pay the subway and bus fare by tapping the same card or phone every time: $3 a ride, and free after $35 in seven days.
- If your income is low, apply for Fair Fares NYC: half-price rides for New York City residents age 18 to 64, whatever their immigration status.
- The Staten Island Ferry is free. At 65 and older or with a qualifying disability, a subway or bus ride costs $1.50 under the MTA's Reduced-Fare program.

## How to pay for the subway and bus

A subway or local bus ride costs $3. You pay by tapping a card, phone or watch on the reader.

1. Tap your card or phone on the reader At a subway turnstile or on a bus, including Select Bus Service (faster buses), tap your contactless bank card, phone, watch or OMNY Card on the reader. The screen confirms the tap. Subway and local bus: $3; express bus: $7.25.
2. Transfer for free within two hours One free transfer within two hours: subway to bus, bus to subway or bus to bus. Use the same card or device for both rides. Transferring to an express bus, you pay the difference.
3. Pay with the same card all week Your first tap starts a seven-day period. Once you have spent $35 on the subway and local buses ($67 with express buses), the rest of your rides in that period are free. Tap the same card every time, or the same device with the same card. Group trips and transfers don't count.
4. No bank card? Buy an OMNY Card with cash OMNY Cards are sold at subway station machines and in stores, and you can reload them with cash. The MTA says a new card costs $1 as a limited-time offer, while omny.info lists $5 with a $1 minimum load, so check the price on the machine screen. A Single-Ride OMNY ticket costs $3.50, is valid for two hours and includes a bus-to-bus transfer, but not subway-to-bus.
5. MetroCard is no longer sold Since January 1, 2026 a MetroCard can't be bought or refilled. The value left on it can be moved to an OMNY Card at a Customer Service Center. For now local buses still take exact change in coins; the MTA will announce later when MetroCard and cash stop being accepted.
6. If you travel with children Up to three children under 44 inches (about 112 cm) ride free with a paying adult. On express buses, children under 2 on a lap also ride free.

## Which discount fits you

Reduced-Fare is based on age and disability, Fair Fares on income. If you are eligible for Reduced-Fare, you can't get Fair Fares.

Three ways to pay for transit

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## Fair Fares NYC: 2026 income limits

The yearly household income at or below which you qualify.

Yearly household income at or below

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## Fair Fares NYC: from application to first ride

1. Check that you are not eligible for Reduced-Fare If you take part in the MTA's Reduced-Fare program or are eligible for it, you can't get the Fair Fares subway and bus discount. This includes people 18 to 64 with a qualifying disability.
2. Apply online Apply at [nyc.gov/accessfairfares](https://nyc.gov/accessfairfares), through ACCESS HRA, the City's website and app for benefits. You will be asked about identity, residence and income, not immigration status. If you need help, go to a Fair Fares office.
3. Upload your documents within 10 days After you apply you have 10 days to upload documents proving your age, residence and income in the ACCESS HRA app; the list is at [nyc.gov/fairfares](https://nyc.gov/fairfares). Miss the deadline and you must apply again. If the upload doesn't work, go to a Fair Fares office.
4. Wait for the decision Review takes up to 30 days after the application and all documents are in. Check the status in your account at [nyc.gov/accessfairfares](https://nyc.gov/accessfairfares); the decision comes by mail.
5. Get the card and add money The Fair Fares OMNY card arrives by mail in two to three weeks, empty. Add money at an OMNY machine in a subway station, at a store or pharmacy near you, or online in an OMNY account. If you chose your own bank card or phone, the discount turns on within a day.
6. Know where the discount works The discount works on the subway and eligible buses, the Staten Island Railway, the Roosevelt Island Tram, the Hudson Rail Link and the Westchester Bee-Line. On express buses and AirTrain JFK the card works at full fare. Neither the discount nor OMNY works on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, PATH (trains to New Jersey) or Nassau Inter-County Express. After 12 paid trips in 7 days, the rest of that week's rides are free.

## Discount programs and free ferries

- Fair Fares NYC NYC residents Low cost A City program: 50% off the subway and eligible buses for New York City residents age 18 to 64 with income at or below the limit. Open to all residents whatever their immigration status; Fair Fares says it does not ask about or record status. Enrollment lasts one year. Not available to people whose fare is fully paid by DSS or HRA, or to anyone eligible for Reduced-Fare. Apply online at [nyc.gov/accessfairfares](https://nyc.gov/accessfairfares); get help at a Fair Fares office. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/fairfares/downloads/pdf/Fair-Fares-FAQ-OMNY-English.pdf)
- Fair Fares NYC offices Free Staff help you apply and upload documents. Bronx: 888 Garrison Avenue, 3rd floor. Brooklyn: 2400 Fulton Street, 4th floor. Manhattan: 132 West 125th Street, 4th floor. Queens: 165-08 88th Avenue, Jamaica, 3rd floor. Staten Island: 201 Bay Street. Closed on holidays. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/fairfares/contact-us/contact-us.page) Mon–Fri 8:30 am–5 pm
- Reduced-Fare Program (MTA) Low cost Rides for $1.50 on the subway, the Staten Island Railway and local buses for people 65 and older and people with a qualifying disability: for example Medicare (federal health insurance) for a reason other than age, SSI for serious mental illness, blindness, deafness or hearing loss, or an ambulatory, cognitive or other physical disability. Apply in person or by mail, not online; a mail application can take up to three months. Accepted photo IDs include IDNYC, a passport from any country and a state driver's license. [mta.info](https://www.mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus/reduced-fare) MTA Customer Service Center, 3 Stone Street, Manhattan Mon–Fri 9 am–5 pm
- Staten Island Ferry Free A free ferry between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, every day, all year. The City's Department of Transportation (DOT) operates it. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/staten-island-ferry.shtml)
- NYC Ferry Paid One way: $5.00; 10-Trip Pass: $30; Unlimited 2-Day: $15, [in the app only](https://www.ferry.nyc/ticketing-info/). Transfers are free within 120 minutes; tickets expire after 90 days. People 65 and older, people with disabilities and Fair Fares participants pay $1.50; apply online, in person or by mail, about 30 days to process. Students pay $1.50 on school-year weekdays, children under 44 inches ride free. Bikes are welcome on board. [ferry.nyc](https://www.ferry.nyc/ticketing-info/)
- The Governors Island ferry Low cost The ferry leaves from the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street; a round trip costs $5. Free for children 12 and under, NYCHA residents (City public housing) and IDNYC holders, and for everyone on Saturdays and Sundays before 11 am. The seasonal Brooklyn ferry sailed from May 23 to November 1, 2026; the winter schedule is on [govisland.com](https://govisland.com). [govisland.com](https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry) Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street, Manhattan
- Citi Bike Reduced Fare Low cost A $5 monthly membership, no annual commitment. For SNAP recipients (federal grocery benefit), residents of NYCHA and of Jersey City and Hoboken public housing (JCHA and HHA), and low-income members of participating credit unions (Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union, NYU Federal Credit Union). The first 45 minutes of each classic-bike ride are included, then $0.27 a minute; e-bikes cost $0.14 a minute. Age 16 and up, with a credit, debit or prepaid card. SNAP recipients upload a Statement of Benefits or a screenshot of their ACCESS HRA case showing their name. No smartphone? You get a bike key. [citibikenyc.com](https://citibikenyc.com/RFBS)
- OMNY help Free Answers to questions about tap payments and OMNY are at mta.info/omny. [mta.info](https://www.mta.info/omny)

## Glossary: definitions of special terms and abbreviations

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This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

[All pages: Life in New York](https://www.qaravan.org/resources/new-york/)

**Sources, checked November 2026**

- [mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus](https://www.mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus)
- [mta.info/omny](https://www.mta.info/omny)
- [mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus/reduced-fare](https://www.mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus/reduced-fare)
- [nyc.gov/assets/fairfares/downloads/pdf/Fair-Fares-FAQ-OMNY-Eng…](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/fairfares/downloads/pdf/Fair-Fares-FAQ-OMNY-English.pdf)
- [citibikenyc.com/RFBS](https://citibikenyc.com/RFBS)
- [ferry.nyc/ticketing-info](https://www.ferry.nyc/ticketing-info/)
- [nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/staten-island-ferry.shtml](https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/staten-island-ferry.shtml)
- [govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry](https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry)
- [nyc.gov/site/fairfares/contact-us/contact-us.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/fairfares/contact-us/contact-us.page)