Getting around New York after 65: transit and downsizing

How getting around changes when you downsize

Most people who move to a smaller home in New York change one of three things at the same time: the number of stairs between the front door and the street, the distance to the nearest subway or bus stop and whether they still keep a car. Each affects the others. A co-op with an elevator and a doorman shortens the trip out of the building. A walk-up above a shop may put the subway at your corner and the fourth-floor landing between you and it.

Trips also change with age, and it helps to plan for that before you sign. Standing on a crowded platform, climbing station stairs, walking twelve blocks with groceries and driving at night all get harder for many people, and the fixes are easier to arrange while you are still choosing a home than after you have moved. Our guide to aging in place versus downsizing covers the wider decision, and this one focuses on the getting-around half.

Everything below follows the operator's own pages as of September 2026. Fares, application methods and processing times change, so confirm the current details with the agency before you rely on a number.

MTA Reduced-Fare for riders 65 and older

The MTA Reduced-Fare program is open to riders who are 65 or older and to riders with qualifying disabilities, including people receiving Medicare benefits for any reason other than age. It is the discount most downsizers will use most often.

What it covers and what it costs

As of September 2026, the MTA page lists a reduced fare of $1.50 on subways, the Staten Island Railway and local buses, which is half of the $3 base fare. On express buses the reduced fare is $3.60, half of the $7.25 base fare, and the page says you pay it anytime except during weekday peak periods, 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. The MTA's Reduced-Fare OMNY page says the card also works for half-price fares on the Roosevelt Island Tram and the Hudson Rail Link.

Fare capping applies as well: the MTA says that once you pay 12 fares in seven days, the rest of your rides for those seven days are free.

How to apply

The MTA gives two ways to apply. You can go in person to a Customer Service Center, either one at a select subway station (located in accessible stations and open 24 hours a day, according to the page) or the center at 3 Stone St in Lower Manhattan on weekdays. Or you can apply by mail. As of September 2026 the page said online applications were not available.

• Bring a valid photo ID. The MTA lists a driver's license, passport, IDNYC card, state photo ID and a birth certificate or Medicare card paired with a photo ID.
• If you are 65 or older and have never had a Reduced-Fare account, the MTA says you can receive a Reduced-Fare OMNY card the same day when you apply in person.
• Applicants who apply by mail may wait up to three months for the card, so do not leave it until the week of your move.
• Load money onto the card at an OMNY vending machine in a subway station, through a free online account at OMNY.info, at retail locations or by calling the OMNY Call Center.

The MTA also says you choose one payment method for the benefit. If you use the Reduced-Fare OMNY Card, switching to a personal credit card or phone means calling customer service, so decide which you prefer when you apply.

The LIRR and Metro-North

Riders who plan to travel to Long Island, Westchester or the Hudson Valley get a separate discount. The MTA says riders 65 or older, riders with disabilities and Medicare recipients can save up to 50% off the full one-way peak fare on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North.

• Where to buy. The MTA lists ticket machines, ticket offices and onboard purchase without the usual onboard surcharge.
• What to carry. You need documentation for the ticket seller and the conductor. The MTA lists a driver's license or non-driver ID, a passport, a NYC Department of Aging ID card, a Reduced-Fare OMNY Card or MetroCard, a Medicare card with photo ID and Access-A-Ride or paratransit cards.
• Morning peak. The MTA's accessible commuter rail page says reduced fares apply during most times except morning peak hours, 6 to 10 a.m. on weekdays at the major terminals. If you ride to a doctor during rush hour, ask the ticket office how your trip is priced before you buy.

The same page explains how to get help boarding. On Metro-North it says to contact 511 at least 15 minutes before your trip. On the LIRR it gives 718-547-7227, at least two hours ahead. Both are worth saving in your phone if you use a walker or wheelchair.

Access-A-Ride: who qualifies and how to apply

Access-A-Ride is the MTA's paratransit service. It is not an age benefit. The MTA's eligibility criteria say you qualify if you have a disability that prevents you from using the public buses or subways, and the assessment looks at things such as stairs, travel to stations, boarding and gait, balance, endurance, strength and cognitive or psychological conditions that affect using transit. Turning 65 does not qualify you by itself, and having a disability does not either unless it prevents you from using buses or subways.

The application steps

The MTA's application page lays out the process:

1. Start an inquiry. Submit the online inquiry form or call the program to begin the eligibility process.
2. Receive the packet. The MTA mails a paper application, an appointment letter with the date, time and location of your in-person assessment and instructions for scheduling free round-trip transportation.
3. Attend the assessment. You meet a healthcare professional for an interview and, when appropriate, functional testing. The page says assessment centers are in each borough.
4. Wait for the decision. The MTA says a decision on eligibility is made within 21 days of the assessment.

The kinds of eligibility

The page describes full eligibility (all trips), conditional eligibility (service under specific circumstances, such as weather, terrain or inaccessible stations) and temporary versions of each, as well as continual eligibility, which does not require reapplying but does require an information update form. Full and conditional eligibility must be recertified every five years. If you are denied or receive conditional eligibility, the MTA says you have the right to appeal within 60 days.

If you may want Access-A-Ride after a move, consider starting the inquiry before the sale closes. The assessment takes place in person and the decision can take weeks, and the answer may affect how you weigh a walk-up against an elevator building.

Accessible stations and elevators

Not every subway station has an elevator. The MTA keeps a list of accessible stations across the subway, the Staten Island Railway, the LIRR and Metro-North, organized by borough or branch. Entries give the exact elevator locations and the bus and rail connections at that station, and many accessible stations have AutoGates for riders who cannot safely use the turnstiles. The MTA says it is working to make more stations accessible and points to its station accessibility upgrades project page for stations in progress.

Elevators go out of service. The MTA recommends checking its elevator and escalator status page for real-time outage information before you travel. Build that into your home search: an elevator that works most days still leaves you stranded on the days it does not, so it helps to know the next accessible station on the line and whether a bus route covers the same trip.

Staten Island Ferry and NYC Ferry

The two ferry systems work differently. NYC DOT says it operates the Staten Island Ferry with free service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan every day of the week, year-round. The page names an ADA coordinator for accessibility questions and a Passenger Service Office for others, so ask there if you have a specific mobility need.

NYC Ferry is separate and charges a fare. Its ticketing page describes a discount program for riders 65 and older that you apply for by downloading a form and submitting proof of age and identity. It lists government-issued ID, birth or adoption certificates and a Medicare card among the accepted documents, and it says applications may take up to 30 days. Fare amounts change, so check the current price on NYC Ferry's page before you plan a routine commute around it.

Disability parking permits and keeping a car

If you keep a car, ask early whether your new building has parking and what the arrangement is, because that is a lease or a building question and differs by property. If mobility is the reason, NYC DOT issues two permits, described on its parking permits for people with disabilities page:

• NYC Parking Permit for People with Disabilities (placard). For a permanent disability that seriously impairs mobility, certified by a personal physician and the NYC Health Department. DOT says it allows on-street parking at metered spaces, no parking zones and certain authorized vehicle spaces, for up to three vehicles. It cannot be used in no stopping zones, at EV charging spaces, fire zones, bus stops or within 15 feet of a hydrant. Applications are mailed with ID, vehicle registrations and medical documentation, and DOT says the process may take up to 90 business days.
• New York State Parking Permit for People with Disabilities (hangtag). For New York City residents with a permanent or temporary impairment that severely affects walking, certified by a New York State-licensed physician or podiatrist. DOT says it is valid nationwide and in Canada, but within New York City it is only valid in off-street spaces, so it is not a substitute for the city placard on the street.

Neither permit is available on the basis of age. DOT lists a phone number, 718-433-3100 on weekdays, on the same page. Because the approval can take months, apply before a move if parking near the front door is part of why you are choosing a particular block.

How to weigh transit when you choose a neighborhood

Programs reduce the cost of travel. They do not change where the trains run, so the neighborhood you pick still sets most of your daily experience. A short checklist works better than a general impression:

• Find the nearest accessible station. Look up the station on the MTA's accessible station list, note where the elevator is relative to the street entrance and check the elevator status page a few times before you decide.
• Trace the trips you actually take. Start with your doctors, pharmacy, the grocery store, the library and friends. Write down whether each is a one-seat subway ride, a bus ride or a taxi.
• Walk the last block yourself. Do it at the time of day you would go out, carrying the kind of load you carry. Look at the slope between the building and the stop, the crossings and whether there is somewhere to sit.
• Count the stairs inside the building. A fifth-floor walk-up, a building with a stoop, and an elevator building with a step at the lobby door are different daily trips.
• Ask what happens when the elevator is out. In a co-op or condo, the managing agent can tell you about the building's elevators and service arrangements.
• Compare boroughs on how you travel, not on the map. The subway, the LIRR, Metro-North, buses and the ferries reach different parts of the city, and the MTA and NYC Ferry publish their own route and station information.

Our neighborhood pages describe each area's subway lines, stations and other transit as the agencies publish them. Start with where to downsize for the featured neighborhoods, or go to a borough page: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Visit a block twice before an offer, once on a weekday and once on a weekend.

Timing it with the move

Most of these programs need weeks of lead time, so a few of them belong on the moving calendar. Apply for Reduced-Fare early if you do not have it, since mail applications can take up to three months. Start an Access-A-Ride inquiry if there is any chance you will need it. Apply for NYC Ferry's discount program if a ferry will be part of your commute, and mail the parking permit application well before the move. On moving day itself, our moving day checklist covers movers, building rules and address changes.

This guide is general information from public agency pages and not advice on your eligibility. Confirm eligibility, fares and forms with the MTA, NYC DOT or NYC Ferry directly, and ask your doctor about any medical paperwork.

If you would like help finding a smaller home near a station or bus line that works for you, you can request an introduction. Introductions go to agents on the operating team at eXp Realty, so this is not a search of the whole market.