Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to announce major commitments to reduce commute times for buses across the city, according to City Hall.
The goal of the project, spanning 45 major corridors across the five boroughs, is to speed up bus trips by 20%, according to City Hall.
Mamdani is expected to roll out the plan this afternoon at his 100 day event at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth, Queens.
Fast and free buses were a cornerstone of the democratic socialist’s mayoral campaign and he framed such services as an economic boost for working class residents.
The City Council is proposing a budget proposal that would give a million New Yorkers free subway and bus rides. Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers in Albany are pushing to revive a dormant pilot program that eliminated fares for one bus per borough. The lawmakers see it as a way to warm Gov. Kathy Hochul up to Mamdani’s proposal. Hochul has expressed worries about the cost of eliminating bus fares.
Some of the areas in the planned redesign include: Fordham Road in the Bronx; Madison Avenue in Manhattan, Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn; and the crosstown bus service in the Bronx. The proposed changes are expected to speed up commute times for 1 million residents, according to City Hall.
Mamdani’s administration plans to release additional details about the plan in the coming weeks.