A B41 bus drives in Downtown Brooklyn the morning after Zohran Mamdani’s election day win in New York City, U.S., November 5, 2025. REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis
(New York, New York) – New Yorkers are paying more to ride subways, buses, and commuter rail this week, raising fresh questions about whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign promise of free buses was ever realistic – or simply a political talking point.
As of Sunday, the base fare for a subway or bus ride increased ten cents to $3.00. Monthly and weekly tickets on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North rose by 4.5 percent, while tolls on MTA-run bridges and tunnels jumped 7.5 percent. The fare hikes mark one of the first major transit developments under Mamdani’s new administration.
During the campaign, Mamdani made free city buses a signature proposal, arguing that widespread fare evasion proved many riders could not afford to pay. He suggested the city and state could reimburse the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at a cost of roughly $800 million annually – a figure critics said understated the long-term financial impact.
Transit and political experts have since cast doubt on the plan’s feasibility. The MTA controls bus fares, not the mayor, meaning any move toward free service would require approval from state-appointed officials and cooperation from Albany. With the agency facing a massive deficit and relying on fare revenue, MTA leadership has shown little appetite for eliminating bus fares systemwide.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber has warned against broad giveaways, arguing resources should instead be targeted toward low-income riders. A previous fare-free bus pilot program, launched in 2023 and extended nearly a year, served a limited number of routes before ending amid concerns over lost revenue and increased fare evasion.
Mamdani has said he would pay for free buses by raising corporate taxes and imposing a new flat tax on high-income earners – proposals that would require approval from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature. So far, no legislation has been introduced, and no timeline has been announced.
For now, riders are seeing higher fares – not free rides – fueling criticism that one of Mamdani’s most popular campaign pledges may have been more slogan than solution. As transit costs rise and the MTA’s financial problems deepen, the question remains: Were free buses ever truly on the table, or was it all an empty political promise?
