Posted on 02/14/2026 7:19:26 AM PST by Libloather
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made "fast and free buses" a defining promise of his administration, framing the proposal as both an affordability measure and a long-overdue fix for a bus system that advocates say has been neglected for decades. But his big swing seems poised to collide with the political realities of New York City.
Supporters argue fare-free buses would reduce conflict, improve safety, and offer immediate relief to riders who depend on buses the most. Skeptics, including on-air pundits and transit organizations, warn the idea risks creating a major funding gap for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unless the city commits to a durable revenue stream and a clear operational plan.
New York City bus riders already face some of the slowest service in the nation despite carrying millions of passengers each day.
"We’re the biggest ridership, and yet we’re subject to the slowest buses. It’s a fundamental unfairness. It’s an embarrassment," Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at the Riders Alliance, told Fox News Digital during a bus ride through the Bronx.
That history helps explain why Mamdani’s proposal has resonated politically. Pearlstein said bus riders, many of whom are students, seniors, and caregivers, are pressed for time and money just like drivers or subway commuters. Yet buses have long been deprioritized on New York City streets.
"That is why this administration’s call for fast and free buses resonates," he added.
Pearlstein's interview, among others, is part of Fox News Digital’s "The Rise of Socialism" series, which examines how socialist ideas and policies are increasingly shaping political debates and public policy in major cities across the United States.
Advocates point first to safety and reduced conflict. Multiple interviewees claimed that fare disputes are a persistent source of tension between riders and bus operators.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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What happens when the people that need the buses can’t use the buses because they’re full with dangerous people ?
“NORTON! Yer not gonna believe what they wanna do with my bus!”
Just charge the wealthy white people who ride the bus.
LOL! Is that the engineer with a whip in his hand leaning out of the cab?!?
I don’t see women , it’s not the train that’s dangerous for women it’s the men ,LOL
Bums, druggies and crazies - the entire public transport system will be taken over. The Seattle Metro used to have a free bus zone in downtown. It had to be scrapped because the bus drivers refused to work those routes. As I recall, the mantra was, “We’re bus drivers, not garbage collectors, cops, or asylum caretakers.”
And are there no tunnels in India? Or are they built to accommodate riders on the cab roof?
Socialism, Communism and Marism are equal to abject poverty.
A form of population control.
That’s actually happening in Tucson. Lots of stabbings robberies etc.
Yup. Exactly.
Are you kidding? They already did that years ago. Especially the subways.
All of these socialist dreams, could only have some positive results in a high-trust society.
We are not a high-trust society.
Apparently there are no hills, or it’s, “Get off and Push!”
Madmami says that if you are murdered “Inside your own home, it’s none of the city’s business.” ROTFL! It’s left up to you do take care of all the business required to clear up the mess and dump the body.
grossly biased article: only pro-free-bus groups interviewed, not a single critic ...
not a single person to say that a system on the verge of collapse will be sent over the edge ... no one to point out that bus fights will increase exponentially with thousands of drug-addicts permanently camping out on “free” buses, disgusting bus hygiene, massive numbers of bus drivers quitting because of all of that, greatly reduced ridership because everyone who can flee will flee, leaving only the poorest of the poor remaining to ride, that is, the very people that were SUPPOSED to be helped by “free” buses ...
The quick slide into Cuba and Venezuela has begun for the Big Apple.
Wonder how long before residents of NYC are eating rats and dogs to survive?
This made me laugh. It is the fundamental flaw of socialism. My brother has a saying regarding working more time on a solution to improve it it that is wasted time, and won't improve it to any degree. He calls it:
"Polishing a turd".
Socialism can never be polished enough to make it work. It is fundamentally flawed.
And one of its fundamental flaws that the idiots won't learn is that it will never work, and is never intended to work. It is meant as a tool to accumulate power into the hands of an elite who will benefit from it.
They use of the "This time it will be different" rhetorical tool is employed to rope in those with a spark of intelligence who might be mildly astute enough to wonder why socialism hasn't worked before, but are weak enough to be fooled by it.
Here in the PNW, Jefferson county, there is no fee for riding the bus. I can take the bus from where I live to a town forty miles away for no fee. But then, property taxes support the bus system here.
Bkmk
Sigh, so much ignorance.
MTA has and will always be a socialist system it never once has run break even let alone turned a profit. Even with zero fare evasion they would still be in the red.
Again math has no agenda, it’s not emotional and gives zero Fs about political leanings.
[In 2024, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported that passenger fares and tolls covered only about 39% of its operating budget, a significant drop from over 50% pre-pandemic. Fare and toll evasion in 2024 cost the agency approximately $1 billion, including $568 million in unpaid bus fares and $350 million in unpaid subway fares. To cover 100% of the operating budget solely through fares while maintaining current tax subsidies, fares would likely need to exceed $7–$8 per trip.
how.much of MTA nyc budget per.year is covered by user fares and how much fare evasion is there in millions, plus what would individual.order fares need to be per trip to cover 100% of.MTA budget at current tax subsidy levels
+5
In 2024, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported that passenger fares and tolls covered only about 39% of its operating budget, a significant drop from over 50% pre-pandemic. Fare and toll evasion in 2024 cost the agency approximately $1 billion, including $568 million in unpaid bus fares and $350 million in unpaid subway fares. To cover 100% of the operating budget solely through fares while maintaining current tax subsidies, fares would likely need to exceed $7–$8 per trip. : of the New York State Comptroller (.gov)
Office of the New York State Comptroller (.gov):
Key Financial Details (2024–2025):
Fare Evasion Costs: $1 billion+ annually (2024), driven by a tripling of losses to $918 million in subway/bus fare evasion between 2019 and 2024.
Total “Stolen” Rides: Approximately 174 million in 2024.
Budget Coverage: Fares/tolls cover 39% of the budget; the rest is covered by taxes, subsidies, and federal aid.
Total Budget: The 2026 projected operating budget is approximately $21.3 billion.
Fare Calculation for 100% Coverage: To cover the $21.3B budget entirely through fares, assuming ridership remains, the average fare would need to be roughly $7.50–$8.50 per trip, given that the $21.3B budget also includes tolls and other non-passenger revenue, and that the current farebox recovery ratio is far below 50%. ]
It has, is and always will be a welfare program for people without cars. That’s just facts.
The muzzie is just eliminating the illusion of what it actually is. Again look at the break even prices PER RIDE of $7-8 no one who is paying fares right now is covering even a small percentage of that per day with multiple.rides on a metrocard 7 or 30 day pass.
Since the citizenry is already the majority paper via taxes they should just make it open for all citizens of NY State given they are already paying for it. Tourists and out of state commuters should pay at least half the breakeven prices per ride since federal taxes are used they too are paying into the kiddie via Fed income tax so a discount is in order.
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