Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s mayoral race put an unlikely spotlight on buses after he made them central to his campaign. While it remains to be seen whether he can fulfill his promise to eliminate bus fares, voter enthusiasm for Mamdani may reflect a little-understood reality about just how essential buses are to most cities’ transportation systems, writes Aaron Gordon in a new perspective.
Buses will always have more reach and versatility than trains, he writes, and even in NYC, many journeys are far better served by the bus — which makes the case for more investment. Beyond making buses free, making them faster and more reliable is perhaps the bigger challenge facing Mamdani. Today on CityLab: With Mamdani, the Humble Bus Gets Its Due