Politics
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Still ‘Pushing for a Fare-Free’ Bus System Despite Reports of MTA Losses
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing by his promises to New Yorkers.
The 34-year-old politician, who has long talked about providing fare-free buses for the city, is doubling down after reports that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is losing money and that fare evasion seems to be rising.
In a Friday, August 14, Fox News Digital report, Transport Workers Union Local 100 president John V. Chiarello claimed that the current fare-evasion levels are the “worst” his drivers have seen.
Last month, the New York Post reported that MTA CEO Janno Lieber seemed to attribute the fare-evasion “trend” to Mamdani’s vision (though he didn’t mention the mayor by name).
“With malice towards none I say all of the talk of free buses, it has an impact,” Lieber stated, per the Post. “I’m not blaming anyone, I’m not trying to tell anyone to shut up. But we need to reestablish this.”
The MTA reported last month that paid ridership was down 7.7% from last June.
“Once you make something free, and you give people a feeling of entitlement, and then the mayor says that he wants to make buses free, you have a perfect storm of people not wanting to pay,” Chiarello told Fox.
Still, Mamdani is standing by what he hopes to provide New Yorkers.
“Fare evasion has been a persistent problem for years, and the fact that some people are unable to afford bus fare highlights the affordability crisis in our city,” deputy press secretary Jeremy Edwards told Fox News in a statement.
“This is exactly why Mayor Mamdani is pushing for a fare free system,” Edwards added.
According to Fox, a free bus system could cost the MTA a lot of money.
Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute specializing in urban policy, told the news organization that the Independent Budget Office estimated free buses could cost $1.1 billion a year in fare revenue.
“We need that money,” Gelinas said. “The MTA [is] already looking at a $300 million deficit for next
