Mamdani's 'Free' Bus Rides Would Cost Taxpayers Big Time

NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for “free” bus rides in New York City wouldn't actually be free. Instead, the cost would be borne by hard-working American taxpayers. The city would face an estimated $650 million annual shortfall. Covering this massive cost would likely mean higher taxes, cuts to other essential services, or more debt for taxpayers. While the idea may sound appealing on the surface, the reality is that funding such a program would strain the city’s budget and could compromise other priorities, including education, public safety, and infrastructure.

Zohran Mamdani's "free" bus rides would not be free — New York City would loose an estimated $650 million annually.

Who will be left to pay for that loss? New Yorkers.

Kansas City tried this and it failed. pic.twitter.com/ANULBEuvGl
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 24, 2025

Kansas City’s experiment with a fare-free bus system is coming to an end after running up a $30 million budget deficit. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has forced the city council to approve a $46 million emergency funding plan just to keep transit running through October 2025. While the plan avoids cutting nearly half of the bus routes and laying off over 170 workers, it also means reinstating a $2 base fare for most riders—because free rides are simply unsustainable. Seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income riders will still receive assistance through programs like the "Fountain Card," but taxpayers cannot continue to foot the bill for everyone’s transportation. Even the costly IRIS on-demand rideshare service, which averages 800 trips a day, is on the chopping block due to its wasteful expenses. This shows once again that government giveaways without proper funding only lead to financial trouble and reduced services.

Mamdani is advocating for the unrealistic idea of eliminating all bus fares across New York City, a proposal stemming from his 2023 “Fix the MTA” pilot project. However, transit authorities warn that implementing this program citywide would cost taxpayers an estimated $650–700 million each year in lost fare revenue, excluding express bus services. Mamdani wants to foot the bill by hiking taxes on high earners and corporations, including a proposed two percent surcharge on those making over $1 million. But critics argue that those tax revenues are far from guaranteed and could leave the city holding the bag when funding inevitably falls short.