"Mamdani clearly understands that transportation affects job prospects, influences public health, and helps shape the cost of living. Many of his proposals are creative and worthwhile. Nixing bus fares is an exception." Slate
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| Rich Terrell |
Slate: Zohran Mamdani: Why his plan for free buses is a bad idea. "After winning the Democratic mayoral primary held two weeks ago, Zohran Mamdani is in the spotlight, as is his policy agenda for New York City. From reforming food truck permits to expanding library access, many of Mamdani’s plans are excellent. Alas, eliminating bus fares—his flagship transportation proposal—is anything but. Should Mamdani somehow cobble together the hundreds of millions of dollars required annually, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would have many superior uses for the money.
"Tallinn, Estonia, stopped charging residents to ride public transportation in 2013, as did Kansas City, Missouri, in 2019. Michelle Wu, the progressive mayor of Boston, promised during her 2021 campaign to “Free the T,” and upon taking office spent city money to eliminate fares on several MBTA bus lines. Two years ago, as a New York Assembly member, Mamdani himself helped secure $15 million from the state budget to temporarily stop charging riders on five MTA bus lines.
"Without question, there are advantages to letting passengers board for free. Total ridership typically rises when no one has to pay. Assaults on bus operators may decline because passengers are not swiping a card or handing over cash, and the boarding process can be faster (although this seems not to have happened during the MTA’s fare-free pilot, potentially due to a jump in riders). Because many bus passengers have low incomes, eliminating fares is fiscally progressive, disproportionately benefiting the less wealthy.
"But prior fare-free deployments provide some cautionary lessons." . . . More...
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