New York City mayoral candidate and state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani defended his proposal to make all city buses free during Wednesday night’s final mayoral debate, estimating the initiative would cost roughly $700 million annually and arguing it would ultimately benefit the city’s economy and environment.
Mamdani said the proposal “addresses the fact that today, in the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one in five New Yorkers cannot afford the bus fare.” He described the measure as both an economic and social investment, explaining that “It could cost $700 million a year to make the slowest buses in the country fast and free,” but claimed the city would “generate more than double in economic revenue for New Yorkers across the city.”
He added that eliminating fares would “reduce assaults on bus drivers,” “increase ridership on those buses,” and “actually have environmental impacts as fewer New Yorkers would drive their own car or take a taxi and would instead get on the bus.” Mamdani stated he was confident in the plan’s feasibility because, as a state assemblyman, he “delivered it as the state assembly member who won the first free buses in New York City’s history.”
The cost projection drew comparisons to other cities that have experimented with fare-free transit, most notably Kansas City, which became the first major U.S. city to eliminate bus fares in 2020. After several years, city officials moved to reinstate fares amid ongoing financial and operational challenges. According to an April 2025 KCUR report, the Kansas City Council voted to bring back $2 fares and reduce route frequency after the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority warned that, without new funding sources, it could be forced to cut 13 of its 29 routes. The council’s six-month plan allocated $46.7 million to keep the system running through October while the agency seeks additional funding to sustain operations in the long term.
Mamdani’s comments come as his economic platform continues to draw attention for its sweeping government-led initiatives. The democratic socialist has previously proposed city-run grocery stores and increasing property taxes in “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” as well as backing measures to buy private housing for communal use. Polling reported by Breitbart News shows Mamdani leading the mayoral race with 43 percent of support citywide, bolstered by strong backing from foreign-born voters and younger residents.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Mamdani’s agenda reflects a growing embrace of socialism among Democrats nationally. Past reports have noted that his campaign has benefited from millions in indirect funding from George Soros–linked organizations and endorsements from left-wing activist groups.
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