Directs the metropolitan transportation authority, in consultation with the Long Island Rail Road, the New York city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, to establish a no fare program for transportation on the Long Island Rail Road, the New York city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company for certain active duty, reserves, retired armed forces members, firefighters, and police officers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9186
IN SENATE
February 12, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. CHAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to a no fare
program for transportation on the Long Island Rail Road, the New York
city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company
for certain armed forces members, firefighters, and police officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 14 of section 1266 of the public authorities
2 law, as amended by chapter 182 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 14. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law or the terms of any
5 contract, the authority, in consultation with the Long Island Rail Road,
6 the New York city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Rail-
7 road Company, shall establish and implement a no fare program for trans-
8 portation on the Long Island Rail Road, the New York city transit
9 authority systems, and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company for
10 active duty, reserves, and retired armed forces members, including but
11 not limited to, the armed forces of the United States, the army national
12 guard, the air national guard, the New York naval militia, the New York
13 guard, and such additional forces as may be created by the federal or
14 state government as authorized by law and reserve armed forces; fire-
15 fighters employed by or retired from service with fire departments and
16 volunteer fire departments active within the metropolitan commuter
17 transportation district, including but not limited to the New York city
18 fire department, the port authority of New York and New Jersey's
19 aircraft rescue and firefighting unit, and county and local fire depart-
20 ments; and police officers employed by [the city of New York, county of
21 Nassau, Nassau county villages and cities, county of Suffolk, Suffolk
22 county villages and towns,] or retired from service with county, city,
23 town, and village police departments within the metropolitan commuter
24 transportation district, the division of state police, the port authori-
25 ty of New York and New Jersey, [the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Compa-
26 ny,] the New York city housing authority and the [New York city transit
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13990-01-5
S. 9186 2
1 authority] metropolitan transportation authority police. In establishing
2 such program, which has as its goal increased protection and improved
3 safety for its commuters, the authority [and the Long Island Rail Road]
4 shall, among other things, consider: (a) requiring active duty,
5 reserves, and retired armed forces members, police officers and retired
6 police officers, and firefighters and retired firefighters who ride
7 without cost to register with the Long Island Rail Road, the New York
8 city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company as
9 a condition of riding without cost; (b) requiring such [officers] eligi-
10 ble participants to indicate during such registration process their
11 regular working hours, if applicable, and the [Long Island Rail Road
12 trains] specific subway, bus, commuter rail and paratransit services
13 that such [officers] eligible participants expect to ride; and (c) peri-
14 odically re-registering and re-validating such [officers] eligible
15 participants. The authority [and the Long Island Rail Road] shall also
16 have the power to consider other matters necessary to carry out the
17 goals and objectives of this section.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
19 ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.
