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) – Mayor Zohran Mamdani came into office promising to make New York City buses free. That pledge remains on hold, while a commission he appointed is recommending an 18.2 percent pay increase for the city’s elected officials.
The Quadrennial Advisory Commission proposed the first broad salary adjustment in a decade. Under the recommendation, City Council members would rise from $148,500 to $175,500. The mayor’s salary would increase from $258,750 to about $305,800, and the Council speaker would move from $164,500 to roughly $194,000.
The increases are not automatic. The City Council must act, and the final legislation could differ from the commission’s proposal. Supporters say the salaries have been frozen while the cost of living and private-sector compensation have climbed. They argue that competitive pay helps attract qualified candidates and reduces pressure on officials to seek outside income.
Critics see a jarring contrast. The administration has not delivered its signature promise of fare-free buses, yet City Hall is moving quickly on higher compensation for politicians. The optics are especially difficult for a mayor who campaigned on lowering everyday costs for working families.
The bus pledge faces obstacles that a salary bill does not. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is controlled by the state, not City Hall, and eliminating fares would require a permanent replacement for billions of dollars in revenue. Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA leaders have not embraced a citywide zero-fare system.
Mamdani and Hochul have instead announced a plan aimed at faster and more reliable service, including new bus-priority corridors, all-door boarding, improved shelters and additional vehicles. Those changes could help riders, but they do not eliminate the fare.
The commission’s recommendation is a normal part of city government, and Mamdani did not personally set the numbers. Even so, appointments carry responsibility, and the administration will have to explain why raises for officeholders are advancing while the free-bus promise remains unresolved.
For riders still paying at the fare box, process will matter less than results. A campaign built around affordability now faces a simple political test: which promise moves first, relief for commuters or bigger paychecks at City Hall.
