Posted on 04/08/2026 12:43:05 PM PDT by Libloather
Slam the brakes.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani conceded he won’t be able to deliver his promise of free buses this year — making a U-turn on one of the cornerstones of his campaign.
Mamdani’s highly-touted demands for free MTA buses have fallen by the wayside in both state and city budget proposals.
The democratic socialist mayor notably did not include the pitch in his $127 billion budget proposal, and it has also failed to garner traction in Albany as legislators hash out the state spending plan with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Hizzoner is now admitting he’s turning his focus on restarting his fare-free bus pilot program, Politico reported — confirming New Yorkers will have to wait for the citywide no-cost transport he promised on the campaign trail.
“Both legislative houses included language within their one-house budget proposals in support of bringing back a free bus pilot program,” Mamdani said.
“That is something that we are encouraged by, and it continues to be part of budget negotiations.”
Still, he insisted he was still “absolutely committed to making buses fast and free” — eventually.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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He hasn’t figured out how to steal from the budget yet.
yeah cause ya know, in order to give people “Free stuff” SOMEONE has to pay for it, commie Mandani cant find anyone willing to cough up the cash..and he wont go into his OWN pocket, nah hes too good for that
Maybe Madmani is a fake failed commie.
Free public transportation would be abused to the point of infrastructural catastrophe.
The homeless would just live there.
There is that plus the hard fact that damn near every city which has tried offering free public transit soon discovers they are providing moving warm places for winos, druggies and crazy street people.
He’s a fake commie but a genuine jihadi.
kisses and promises in one hand and dung in the other. Slap them together and what do you get, a Democrat and Mayor Mamdani.
Mamdani may be a fake Commie but he had some true believer Bolsheviks voting for him who will quickly turn on him. Viva la Revolution, baby!! Perhaps his Social Worker Corps that’s replacing the NYPD can keep a lid on it…LOL!!
No kidding - he’s a 100% dead-serious commie.
One-dollar fares might be offered.
I would imagine most New Yorkers that use public transit use passes.
I suspect most private operator buses serve Queens.
LOL! Who didn’t see this coming? Apparently most of the NYC voters...
Backs down? That’s a term used for when someone gives in to a demand from constituents
Backs away maybe
Fake commie? No the New Yorker were well informed that he was communist, Muslim, and was born in Uganda
What the Brits do is bid out routes.
The qualified operator that requires the smallest subsidy gets the route.
Probably sell all the buses anyway ,LOL
Bob Grant would have called him a "phony fake fraud."
He is going great guns of the democrat promise of ‘more, more, more taxes’.
All he needed to do was to make the busses "free" and then let the communist "miracle" work its wonders. (HA!)
Want a few predictions?
First, he'll need to perform a study, which means forming a committee including representation from all "stakeholders" (meaning including vagrants and illegal aliens).
Next, the committee will need extra time to examine the problem, hold meetings, host discussions, and visit other cities with busses (Paris, for example.)
Then, after 2 years) the committee will issue a report recommending free busses, with a few caveats.
-- means testing. Nobody earning in excess of $--- can ride free.
-- limiting services and proof of need. To ride for free, special bus passes showing address and permitted places to ride.
-- other exclusions, including permitted ridership times of day and special busses reserved for paying riders (and of course, city officials).
All in all, the project will take 2-3 years to develop. Call it a...
...THREE YEAR PLAN (nyuk, nyuk)
MACO
Those days are long behind us. The privately-operated companies (Green, Triboro, Command, etc.) came to an end nearly 20 years ago.
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