New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to make every city bus ride free. The democratic socialist assemblyman says the policy would cost about $700 million a year, which sounds like a lot until you compare it to New York state's $254.3 billion budget. Mamdani argues that when stacked against that number, his plan is practically a bargain—one that would improve transit equity and get more New Yorkers onto public transportation.
But here's the catch: Free buses don't exist—someone has to pay for them. Right now, farebox revenue provides the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) with over $5 billion annually. Losing even a fraction of that revenue would open up a budget hole the state can't easily fill. And with COVID relief money drying up, the timing couldn't be worse.
New York City buses already face a serious fare evasion problem, with nearly half of all riders not paying. But that doesn't mean the system should be free altogether. If NYC were to move to a more socialist transit system, the bus service quality would most certainly decline. Wealthier riders will benefit from not having to pay the fare, even though they can afford to. But the low-income New Yorkers Mamdani claims to champion (who already have many of their rides subsidized by the government in other ways) will just be left with a worse-quality bus system. And taxpayers will foot the bill for it all.
Fox News host Kennedy hits the streets for Reason to ask New Yorkers what they think about Mamdani's "free" bus plan and whether a socialist transit policy could actually work in a city already buckling under sky-high taxes.
Photos: Michael Nigro/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; x.com/ZohranKMamdani
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