Res 1017-2019

By Council Member Brannan Whereas, According to TransitCenter, a foundation that works on the improvement of public transit, as of January 2019, there are 97 cities and towns across the world that provide fully fare free public transit and there is a growing movement both in the United States and abroad in favor of fare elimination as part of addressing climate change, rising income inequality and socioeconomic disparity; and Whereas, Currently, the Department of Transportation (DOT) suspends alternate side parking on 36 legal and major holidays in New York City as of 2019, and DOT also suspends parking meter regulations on some major legal holidays including New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; and Whereas, Several metropolitan jurisdictions offer free New Year's Eve transit to help ease travel options and reduce drunk driving, such as Los Angeles, California (CA); Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis (MN), Minnesota; Toronto, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia; among others; and Whereas, New York City's buses, subways, and commuter rail lines were free between 8 am and 8 pm on New Year's Eve in 1984 and 1985; and Whereas, Major cities in the United States have offered free transit for selected holidays such as Saint Paul, MN in connection with St. Patrick's Day festivities, and Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, Texas (TX); Houston, TX; and Tampa, Florida offered free buses and trains on Election Day, November 6, 2018; and Whereas, In 2005, the MTA offered a fare discount for the holiday season, reducing the base fare by half at the time, to $1 for weekends between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day as well as throughout the last week of December; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to make subways and buses fare free on major holidays. ..Body N.O. 08/01/2019 LS 9132