Mayor Zohran Mamdani appears to have conceded he won’t be able to deliver his promise of free buses this year — despite it being a cornerstone of his campaign.
Mamdani’s highly-touted demands for free buses has fallen to the wayside in both state and city budget proposals.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appears to be conceding that his promise of free buses this year will not be happening. REUTERS Then-mayoral candidate Mamdani and Brad Lander speak at a Riders Alliance rally in Flatbush, Brooklyn in support of improving reliability and infrastructure around mass transit in New York City. LP Media Now, hizzoner is focusing on bringing back a fare-free bus pilot program, Politico reported — in an admission that New Yorkers would have to wait for city-wide no-cost transport.
“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.
“We’re encouraged by the conversations we’re having with the governor and legislative leaders to take action on that in 2026 as a first step,” he added.
