WASHINGTON (TNND) — Kansas City, Mo., has ended its free bus program that inspired New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to create a free bus service for Big Apple commuters.
The Midwestern city reinstated bus fares this month after the operating costs of its free bus program increased to about $15 million annually, partly due to unexpected expenses and inflation, Bloomberg reported. The program, which lasted six years, was initially expected to cost about $8.8 million, according to the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
Missouri riders and conductors criticized the free bus service as unreliable, filthy, rolling homeless shelters after federal COVID relief funds dried up, the New York Post reported.
Free bus supporters argued that free fares would increase ridership, reduce emissions contributing to climate change, and improve service by avoiding fare collection.
Transit officials decided to scrap the program last year.
“As we ran out of the money and the support, we were forced to make more service cuts or move to fares to support those services,” Kansas City Area Transportation Authority chief mobility and strategy officer Tyler Means told Bloomberg.
“Zero-fare means worse service,” Jarrett Walker, a public transportation planning consultant, told the media outlet. “Taking out fares creates a much bigger hole that requires much bigger service cuts unless you find money somewhere else.”
Mamdani has repeatedly pointed to Kansas City’s free bus program as a success, but he was unable to find the funds in New York City’s $124 billion budget to cover the cost of such a service.
The mayor has urged Albany to continue the free bus pilot program, providing fare-free trips on a few routes around New York City.
The program could cost New York City roughly $800 million to replace lost fare revenue.
“Mayor Mamdani promised New Yorkers to make buses fast and free, and he intends to keep that promise,” said his deputy press secretary, Jeremy Edwards.