New York City taxpayers could pay just over $1.1 billion annually for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “free” buses, per a new New York City Independent Budget Office estimate. It’s the latest major socialist campaign promise revealed to be more expensive than originally advertised. Go figure. 

The new figure is a roughly $450 million annual markup from the IBO’s original 2023 free bus estimate that Mamdani cited on the campaign trail. The office also believes that the $1.1 billion cost could increase year over year, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority purchases more buses, pays additional overtime, hires new bus operators, and recoups lost subway revenue from higher bus demand.