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Political promises of “free buses” in New York City are contributing to a spike in fare evasion that is costing the city’s mass transit system millions of dollars, transit officials warn.
In July, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber blamed political rhetoric for fueling fare evasion, though he never mentioned Mayor Zohran Mamdani by name.
“There’s a trend that broke out,” Lieber told reporters following a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, according to the New York Post. “With malice towards none, I say all of the talk of free buses, it has an impact.”
The MTA reported that paid bus ridership fell nearly 8% in June compared to the same month last year. During Mamdani’s first six months in office, bus fare revenue fell by $31 million compared to the first half of 2025. Agency estimates show nearly half of bus riders now skip the $3 fare.
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani greets a bus driver as he arrives for a campaign event in Harlem on Nov. 2, 2025, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mamdani made the slogan “fast and free buses” a major part of his 2025 mayoral campaign. However, the MTA is controlled by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state, rather than City Hall. While the mayor and Hochul unveiled plans on July 8 to focus instead on speeding up bus routes, experts and union leaders say the “free bus” rhetoric has already contributed to fare evasion.
John V. Chiarello, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, the city’s largest transit union representing more than 40,000 transit workers, told Digital that current fare evasion levels are the “worst” his drivers have seen.
He noted that buses were temporarily free during the COVID-19 pandemic and said the MTA worked to reverse the resulting habit of not paying fares, but that behavior has resurfaced in recent months.
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“Once you make something free, and you give people a feeling of entitlement, and then the mayor says that he wants to make buses free, you have a perfect storm of people not wanting to pay,” Chiarello said.
Chiarello noted that union rules strictly instruct bus operators not to confront fare evaders for their own safety following past violent attacks on drivers. He also pushed back on claims that fare-jumpers are strictly low-income New Yorkers.
“I can see myself when I’m sitting in the buses where people with suits are coming on. These are people that have the money. It’s just that they’re not paying because it’s in vogue now,” Chiarello added.
Lieber made similar comments, calling on higher earners to pay their fares rather than pass the cost on to other taxpayers.
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“For all the people who are on their way to office jobs, who are making a good income, who walk by the bus driver and don’t pay or get on the back and don’t pay, I say it’s time to be New Yorkers,” Lieber said, according to The New York Post. “You’re just passing along the cost to another taxpayer. Somebody’s going to have to pay for that ride.”
The MTA is also losing fare revenue from riders who do not pay. Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute specializing in urban policy, explained the fiscal impact of the mayor’s proposal.
“The [Independent Budget Office] has estimated free buses would cost the MTA about $1.1 billion a year in fare revenue. And we need that money. The MTA [is] already looking at a $300 million deficit for next year,” Gelinas told Digital. “The idea of giving up a billion dollars plus in fare revenue from the buses, when you have no way to replace that, it’s just not fiscally wise.”
Gelinas said a herd mentality is also at play, with paying riders watching others board without paying.
“You pay your fare, and then you watch 10 people get on and not pay the fare. So at some point, you’re just going to think like, ‘Why am I paying the fare?’” Gelinas said. “So you really want to move back from that tipping point because, right now, if you’re paying the fare, you’re basically subsidizing the people who are not.”
Mamdani has previously defended his fare-free transit push by arguing that widespread non-payment is spurred by an affordability crisis.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during the annual New York State Financial Control Board meeting on Aug. 12, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
