{"id":399,"date":"2026-07-08T21:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=399"},"modified":"2026-07-08T21:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:44:07","slug":"mamdanis-push-for-free-buses-takes-a-back-seat-to-faster-ones-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=399","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani\u2019s push for free buses takes a back seat to faster ones (for now)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

New York City buses are en route to becoming faster, thanks to a new unveiled Wednesday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul that aims to save bus riders up to six minutes on their routes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: It\u2019s time to say \u2018neigh\u2019 to a dangerous anachronism<\/a><\/p>\n

Not included in the plan: Any sign of progress on free<\/em> buses, a central pillar of Mamdani\u2019s mayoral campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s announcement was massive and celebratory. Dozens of advocates, elected officials and bureaucrats took over an entire Downtown Brooklyn plaza as Madonna\u2019s \u201c4 Minutes\u201d blasted onto Lafayette Avenue \u2013 remixed as \u201c6 Minutes,\u201d for the time saved target. Would this be the administration\u2019s crowning transportation achievement? Would free buses be left by the wayside?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asked at the press conference, Mamdani insisted the fight for free buses is \u201cnot at all\u201d over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very clear with New Yorkers that my commitment is to make buses fast and free. Today, we stand together on how we deliver the fast,\u201d he said. The new plan \u2013 titled \u201cNext Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service\u201d \u2013\u00a0simply focuses on other elements of the bus experience, he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about the bus, it\u2019s also about the bus stop, it\u2019s also about the streetscape, it\u2019s about every single thing that delays New Yorkers when they\u2019re trying to get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Mamdani still faces headwinds that could make free buses a slow and difficult goal. The state operates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber have not hidden that they are less than thrilled about the prospect of free buses. The City Council has focused instead on expanding the Fair Fares program targeting discounted rides to low-income riders, and some advocates have suggested MTA funds could be better used for other transit needs, like extending the subway system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Indeed, Hochul and Lieber seemed more amenable to improving the city\u2019s bus system in ways other than making them free, and the plan prescribes improvements like all-door boarding, advancing bus lane projects and adding seating and shade at bus stops. Hochul and the MTA have committed to purchasing 2,500 new buses to replace much of its aging fleet.<\/p>\n

Read more Ali Krieger talks Zohran Mamdani and Gotham FC coming to Queens<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNot everybody agrees about every single thing,\u201d Lieber said Wednesday. \u201cWe do agree about affordability, and a blow was struck for affordability last week when the City Council and the mayor increased the eligibility for Fair Fares.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Mamdani\u2019s \u201cfast and free\u201d rallying cry, there\u2019s only so much he can do given the state\u2019s power over the MTA and its funding. Still, the mayor will be judged by his ability to meet the benchmarks he set for himself \u2013 and he\u2019s already drawn criticism for pivoting on some of his major campaign promises when faced with the fiscal realities of the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, transit advocates remained confident that this isn\u2019t the end of the road for free buses.<\/p>\n

\u201cFree buses is something that\u2019s a seed of an idea that\u2019s been planted,\u201d Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, told City & State. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a little while for that tree to grow, and once it does, then that fruit will be on the tree for the picking \u2013 but it’s not immediate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as Riders Alliance\u2019s Policy and Communications Director Danny Pearlstein put it: \u201cThis plan is the end of the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani adviser heads to Maine to sort out Senate mess<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Road work ahead? The mayor sure hopes it does. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,20,92,45],"tags":[127,21,93,46],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mta","category-new-york-city","category-politics","category-zohran-mamdani","tag-mta","tag-new-york-city","tag-politics","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"yoast_head":"\nMamdani\u2019s push for free buses takes a back seat to faster ones (for now) - Business Relocation Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=399\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mamdani\u2019s push for free buses takes a back seat to faster ones (for now) - Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Road work ahead? 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