I get the appeal of free buses simpler, fairer, more accessible. But after reading the deep dive on Mamdani’s plan, I’m honestly more skeptical than before. If NYC really has $600–800 million to throw at buses, shouldn’t we be focused on making them faster first?
As someone who’s sat through 20-minute gaps and watched buses crawl behind double-parked cars, I’d take dedicated lanes, signal priority, and more frequent service over free rides any day. You save people way more time that way and time’s worth a lot more than $2.90 to most riders.
Plus, what happens in a future budget crunch when that fare revenue's just gone?
Curious where folks fall on this. Would you rather pay a fare for reliable service, or ride free and risk worse service in the long run?
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