It is unclear how he would make the buses free \u2014 or if he consulted transit groups or economic experts. But he has not been shy about wanting to raise taxes on corporations and \u201cthe wealthiest\u201d New Yorkers.<\/p>\n
A 2023 study by the city\u2019s Independent Budget Office (IBO)<\/a> found that fare-free buses in New York City would likely cost at least $652 million a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s revenue plan will raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey\u2019s 11.5%, bringing in $5 billion, according to his campaign website<\/a>. New Yorkers earning more than $1 million annually would be taxed a flat 2%, if he wins the mayoralship. <\/p>\n Any tax increase, however, would require state legislative approval, which could be challenging, given that Gov. Kathy Hochul and all state legislators are up for re-election in 2026. Hochul has already ruled out tax increases.<\/a><\/p>\n The union weighs in<\/p>\n Another proponent of free buses is comes from an unlikely source: the union.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union International<\/a>, has appeared in reports supporting the Mamdani bus plan. He explained to amNewYork that the proposal would decrease assaults on bus drivers, while also providing a societal service.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNothing is free in life, so we\u2019re not talking about free buses,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about building the cost of the buses into the wider tax bases. Just like we don\u2019t pay for sanitation at the point of service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He also said keeping bus drivers apart from fare boxes is \u201cextremely effective\u201d in reducing assaults on bus drivers, as demonstrated in the 2023-2024 free bus pilot program.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the issue of safety, it is the massive one point that everyone can agree on that as soon as the bus operator is separated from the payment medium, the assaults plummet,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n Can the mayor instantly make buses free? Not really.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, at the forefront of the issue is whether the mayor of NYC has the authority to implement such a plan over the state-run MTA. Civics experts say it is not so much about authority as it is about influence and actually having the mechanisms in place to bring the idea to fruition.\u00a0<\/p>\n The NYC mayor can appoint four people to the MTA board, all of whom represent NYC. But those four appointees are far from the majority of the 23-member board. While they have some say in decisions, in order for the city to achieve free buses, it needs gubernatorial support.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe MTA board is essentially controlled by the governor. You really need the governor on board,\u201d said Professor Stephen Louis of New York Law School\u2019s Center for New York City and State Law<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The MTA, an agency that has borrowed money, also relies on fares for funding. If the state gives a thumbs down to free buses, it is possible for the city to foot the bill, as was the case with the 7 train extension to Hudson Yards in 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe MTA did it, but the city paid for it,\u201d Louis explained. \u201cSo, it\u2019s possible, if the state isn\u2019t willing to do this or come up with the money, the city could say, \u2018Look, we will pay whatever the MTA pays in bus fares.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In this scenario, the MTA would have an agreement in place with the city. As another less-likely alternative, Louis explained, the city would take over running the buses.<\/p>\n \u201cThe buses run on city streets,\u201d the professor said. \u201cSo you can say there is a certain logic that buses could be run by the city. But then, that\u2019s even more complicated because you\u2019d have the workforce that would now be a city responsibility. And the city would not just pay for it, but operate it.\u201d<\/p>\n Do free buses actually move more slowly? Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC) to the MTA<\/a>, echoed concerns about extra costs and operations. Fritsch, who worked on the expansion of Pre-K under former mayor Bill de Blasio \u2014 an issue that sparked similar questions about costs \u2014 explained that a free bus network in NYC is possible, but there are other factors to consider.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to hire a lot of new bus drivers, you\u2019re going to have to get new rolling stock, and either expand or secure new depot space around the city, which is always challenging, but it\u2019s doable,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the MTA announced the results of its year-long pilot program<\/a> that put one free bus route in each borough of NYC. Mamdani, as a member of the state Assembly, helped secure funding for the pilot program in the state budget.<\/p>\n The program concluded with the MTA\u2019s finding that ridership increased on the free routes, and the foregone revenue and related costs totaled more than $12 million over the nine-month pilot period.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was not fun for riders, either. The free buses made more stops than ones that required payment.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe numbers showed that it slowed down buses a bit,\u201d Fritsch said. \u201cI think in part because the buses were making more stops than they would otherwise. The MTA felt that people were taking it a lot for shorter stops.\u201d<\/p>\n Christopher Ball, an associate professor of economics at Quinnipiac University<\/a> in Connecticut, said free buses are economically possible, but echoed Fritsch\u2019s point about slowing down the buses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2024-09-03-160338.png\" "\\"NYC")
Some lawmakers blasted the MTA when it ended its yearlong free bus pilot.MTA<\/p>\n