The socialist dreams of the mayor of New York City have hit another stumbling block after fewer than 100 days in office.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration says the promise of “free and fast” public buses for all New Yorkers will not happen this year.
‘The fact that he can’t fulfill any of his silly promises is entirely unsurprising.’
Mamdani promised before the election that he would eliminate bus fares and said that doing so would cut down on violence on public transit.
“The act of fare collection on the bus happens on the bus. So when you eliminate the fare box, you make for a safer experience for the bus driver, for everyone on the bus,” Mamdani said in an interview with Trevor Noah in December.
“The safety of that bus, the efficacy of how is it moving, the question of the doors, all of this is tied to the elimination of fare at once,” he added.
In an interview released by Politico on Wednesday, Mamdani tried to deflect when asked if he was giving up on the free bus pledge after the New York legislature did not include funding for the program in budget proposals for this year.
“Both legislative houses included language within their one-house budget proposals in support of bringing back a free-bus pilot program,” he said. “That is something that we are encouraged by, and it continues to be part of budget negotiations. I’m absolutely committed to making buses fast and free, and we’re encouraged by the conversations we’re having with the governor and legislative leaders to take action on that in 2026 as a first step.”
Economic expert and Blaze News contributor Carol Roth responded to the mayor’s sinking socialist dreams in an email to Blaze News.
“Mamdani’s campaign always was akin to the class president promising free pizza and a hot tub in the lunchroom. The fact that he can’t fulfill any of his silly promises is entirely unsurprising,” Roth said.
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Very soon after his inauguration, some New Yorkers and bus drivers mocked and ridiculed the possibility of his promise coming true.
Even Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in November that she could not support the bus fare promise because of the prohibitive cost.
“I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways,” she said.
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Mamdani socialist dreams end, Mamdani free bus fares, Socialism fails, Kathy hochul vs zohran mamdani, Politics
