New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani defended his policy for free bus transportation, citing a lower assault rate on bus drivers.
Mamdani appeared on the podcast What’s Next? With Trevor Noah on Tuesday, roughly three months after his yearlong pilot of free bus routes ended in New York. Five routes reached all the boroughs, which didn’t charge fares from September 2024 to September of this year.
“When we made those bus routes free, after a year, assaults on bus drivers dropped by 38.9% because — unlike the train — the act of fare collection on the bus happens on the bus,” Mamdani said. “So when you eliminate the fare box, you make for a safer experience for the bus driver, for everyone on the bus.”
The $2.90 fare is unaffordable for 1 in 5 New Yorkers, according to a report Mamdani wrote in September. Mamdani reported that the average bus rider makes less than $30,000 a year, and the pilot resulted in a 30% increase in bus riders, with the uptick among those earning less than $28,000.
According to Transport Workers Union member John Paul “JP” Patafio, half of the reported assaults on buses happen around the fare box.
During the podcast, Mamdani said, “I think what it comes back to is that if you pair the making of the bus free, which then also enables you to use any door to board. You don’t have to wait behind anyone who’s looking for their MetroCard or used to be looking for their coins. You can just board and exit. You speed up the time at each bus stop.”
Mamdani: "Free buses means that less bus drivers will get assauIted so the buses will become safer" pic.twitter.com/SilMHJZUAx
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 17, 2025
HOW MUCH WILL MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST EXPERIMENT COST NEW YORK?
According to an ABC News exit poll, Mamdani swept the majority of voters who have lived in New York City for less than five years, with 8 in 10 electing him. However, a majority of voters who have lived in the city for over 10 years voted for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Meanwhile, adults in the United States have shifted their opinions on economic systems, with 54% of those surveyed in a September Gallup poll reporting a positive opinion of capitalism. This was the lowest approval rating in the six years Gallup has polled on capitalism.
