Fare-free bus initiatives are gaining traction in deep blue cities like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York City.
The Los Angeles public transit system, which is the second-largest transit system in the nation behind New York City, had over 300 million boardings on buses and trains last year, according to Mayor Bass.
Mamdani's progressive plan to offer free bus service would saddle taxpayers with more than $900 million a year in new costs, according to a fiscal watchdog, which says the money would be better spent on reducing fares.
Rather than making city buses free for all riders, elected officials and transit advocates are pushing to expand a transit program for low-income New Yorkers.
It starts at the curb. It extends far beyond that.
In a break from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, some transit advocates are wary of a plan to subsidize bus fares and argue the money would be better spent on a major subway expansion.