NYC free buses: Mayor Mamdani’s $1B plan stalls. Council pushes targeted Fair Fares expansion instead. Mayor Zohran Mamdani promised that all riders would get free buses in New York City, but there hasn’t been much progress on that front. Instead, the City Council and transit advocates want a more focused solution: helping the people who need it the most right now. They want to improve an underused program called Fair Fares that gives low-income New Yorkers half-off subway and bus fares.
📋 Key facts about NYC free buses debate
- Mayor’s promise: Make all NYC buses free for every rider – projected cost ~$1 billion/year.
- Budget context: NYC faces a $5.4 billion deficit. Mayor did not fund Fair Fares expansion in preliminary budget.
- Council alternative: Revamp Fair Fares (half‑price transit for low‑income). Proposals: auto‑enroll eligible riders + make transit free for them.
- Current Fair Fares: Income limit 150% of poverty level ($23,500/individual; $48,000/family of 4). ~380,000 enrolled; 575,000 more eligible but not enrolled (complicated paperwork).
- Advocacy thresholds: Citizens Budget Commission wants 250% ($39,900/individual, $82,500/family) – 2M eligible. Community Service Society wants 300% (~$99,000/family).
- Affordability crisis: 1 in 5 New Yorkers struggle to pay transit – disproportionate burden on Black, Latino commuters and working mothers (2024 report).
- Human story: Susie Kamara, home health aide, denied Fair Fares because she makes $1,000 over limit. Calls on mayor: “Make it fair – now.”
- Challenges to mayor’s plan: Gov. Hochul unwilling to raise taxes as proposed; MTA distances itself (cracking down on fare evasion).
Fair Fares doesn’t help a lot of the one million people who qualify and need help right now. Julie Menin, the Council Speaker, said at a news conference on Wednesday that she supports automatically signing up eligible low-income New Yorkers for Fair Fares and making public transportation free for them.
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The Fair Fares program now charges $1.50 for each ride for people who make less than $23,500 a year (or $48,000 for a family of four). There is no consideration of citizenship status. About 575,000 more New Yorkers qualify for the discount but don’t use it. This is mostly because the application process is complicated and makes it hard for people to sign up.
Why NYC free buses for all is stalled and what the Council proposes instead
At a time when the city has a $5.4 billion budget deficit, Mayor Mamdani’s plan to give every rider free buses in New York City would cost nearly $1 billion a year. His office didn’t answer calls for comment about the Council’s plans. Some supporters were upset that the mayor’s first budget did not include money to expand Fair Fares.
Comparing costs and coverage – NYC free buses vs. Fair Fares expansion
Mayor’s universal free buses: ~$1 billion/year – covers all riders, but no progress, opposed by Hochul and MTA.
Current Fair Fares (half‑price): less than $100 million/year – covers 380,000 low‑income riders; 575,000 more eligible but not enrolled.
Council proposal (auto‑enroll + free for eligible): could more than double current cost, still far less than $1 billion.
Citizens Budget Commission proposal (250% poverty level): would make 2 million New Yorkers eligible (1 in 4 working adults).
Community Service Society proposal (300% poverty level): would cover families making up to ~$99,000 – capturing “the real need.”
He has said that free bus service would be a public good, like libraries, that would help all New Yorkers, no matter what their needs are. One of the slowest bus fleets in the country, he says, needs to be faster and more reliable. Making buses free is a big part of that. As an assemblyman, he pushed for a pilot program in 2023 that made some bus lines free. More people rode the buses, but they didn’t go any faster. The plan is having trouble because Governor Kathy Hochul doesn’t want to raise taxes on the rich as much as the plan suggests, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has distanced itself from the plan as it cracks down on fare evasion. The City Council can now suggest more specific, targeted alternatives because the mayor’s proposal hasn’t moved forward.
The battle over free buses in NYC—income limits, lobbying, and one rider’s plea
Julie Menin, speaking at a City Hall news conference with transit advocates around her, said that Fair Fares needs to be expanded right away because the cost of living is rising. “Because of this cost, people are literally skipping meals,” she said. “It’s a shame.” According to a report from the Community Service Society in 2024, about one in five New Yorkers have trouble paying for public transportation. This is especially hard for Black and Latino commuters and working mothers. A number of groups are pushing for changes.
The Citizens Budget Commission doesn’t believe the mayor’s plan to make all buses free, but they do support raising the Fair Fares income limit to 250% of the federal poverty level (39,900 for an individual; 39,900 for an individual; 82,500 for a family of four). Two million New Yorkers would be eligible at that level, which is one in four working adults.
The Community Service Society wants to go even higher, to 300% of the poverty line, which is about $99,000 for a family of four.”It’s not meeting the real need,” said Rachel Swaner, a vice president at the organization. She pointed out families who make just a little more than the current limit but still have trouble.Susie Kamara, a 39-year-old home health aide from the Bronx, told the crowd that she had applied for Fair Fares but was turned down because she makes about $99,000 a year for her family of four.Rachel Swaner, a vice president at the group, said, “It’s not capturing the real need.” She pointed out families who make just a little more than the current limit but still have trouble.At the same time, Susie Kamara, a 39-year-old home health aide from the Bronx, told the crowd that she had applied for Fair Fares but was turned down because she makes about $1,000 more than the income limit. She pays the full price for the Bx12 bus and the No. 2 train to get to work. She said, “I don’t have a choice; my patients are waiting for me.” She got a loud round of applause when she said she supported raising the threshold to 300%. Her last words were directed at Mayor Mamdani: “Expand Fair Fares.” Make it fair right now.
What’s next for NYC free buses and Fair Fares?
Mayor Mamdani’s office has not responded to the Council’s proposals. Governor Hochul and the MTA remain obstacles to the universal plan. The Council is moving ahead with targeted expansion. Advocacy groups continue to push for higher income thresholds. The 2023 pilot showed ridership gains but no speed improvement. The budget deficit looms over all options.
