Discounted MetroCards now online

New Yorkers who struggle to pay their subway or bus fares can now get some long overdue relief.

City officials announced Monday the full rollout of Fair Fares, a program that offers half-priced MetroCards for the city’s neediest residents.

More than 70% of New Yorkers living at or below the poverty line have been unable to apply for the program, which first got the signoff from City Hall in June 2018.

But with the launch of an online portal Monday, anyone across the five boroughs can use a computer, cell phone or tablet to determine if they qualify for the program and apply for the discounted swipes. People can apply at nyc.gov/fairfares.

The Community Service Society, which helped stump for the program, estimated that roughly 800,000 people across the city would qualify for the Fair Fares program, but that only about 361,000 of those people would take up the deal.

Just over 100,000 people have signed up for the program over the past year — but elected leaders hope that number will rapidly grow this year.

“We don’t think 800,000 people will sign up, but we want to get as many people signed up as possible,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “With open enrollment we think that number will go up significantly.”

The Fair Fares program received $106 million in each of the city’s past two budgets, but Johnson (D-Manhattan) said it could require more funding if it becomes more popular than officials anticipated.

The speaker said he’s also considering other programs to make the city’s mass transit systems more equitable — but in the meantime he encouraged straphangers with unlimited MetroCards to give riders a free swipe if they are in need.

“I think that’s a good thing to swipe people through,” said Johnson. “I think it’s a fair and decent thing for people to do that, and it’s legal, too.”