cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/47472940
Feb. 13, 2026
Free buses? Really? Of all the promises that Zohran Mamdani made during his New York City mayoral campaign, that one struck some skeptics as the most frivolous leftist fantasy. Unlike housing, groceries and child care, which weigh heavily on New Yorkers’ finances, a bus ride is just a few bucks. Is it really worth the huge effort to spare people that tiny outlay?
It is. Far beyond just saving riders money, free buses deliver a cascade of benefits, from easing traffic to promoting public safety. Just look at Boston; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Kansas City, Mo.; and even New York itself, all of which have tried it to excellent effect. And it doesn’t have to be costly — in fact, it can come out just about even.
If free buses strike you as wasteful, you’re not alone. Plenty of the beneficiaries would be people who can afford to pay. Does it make sense to give them a freebie? Yes, if it improves the life of the city, just as free parks, libraries and public schools do. Don’t think of it as a giveaway to the undeserving. Think of it as a gift to all New Yorkers in every community. We deserve it.
In my city the bus to downtown (CBD or “town”) is $8.69 one way. For my family of 5 we’re $43 bucks to get into town. One way. It’s $86 for the round trip.
It’s cheaper to drive and pay $30 for pre booked parking for a family outing then it is to go via public transport.
Even if we go off peak where the prices by approx half.
Cost me $7 round trip to take the light rail to the other CBD (4km away). For the whole family it’s still cheaper to find street parking then to pub transport it.
But when it’s one person it makes no sense to commute to work, $30 a day parking plus tolls (easily $50 to go to work) when I can do it for $17 a day.
Still way too much. If I didn’t wfh as much as I do it would be a significant cost