Mayor Mamdani pushes back on MTA chief claim 'free bus' rhetoric tied to increase in fare evasion

Josephine Stratman and Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News on Aug 3, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended his push for free buses in wake of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair Janno Lieber’s allegation that the mayor’s rhetoric has played a role in increased fare evasion in NYC.

Mamdani campaigned on a promise of making the city’s bus system free for all riders — even though the buses are run by the MTA and the city lacks the power to do so. The head of the state-controlled MTA has stood firmly against Mamdani’s campaign promises, arguing repeatedly fare revenue is needed to keep the system running.

Asked at a Bronx press conference Monday about Lieber’s assertion, Mamdani said “Janno and I will always have a difference of opinion, and that’s fine.”

“Here in New York City we learn how to live with each other, no matter how many differences of opinion we have,” the mayor added.

According to MTA data, 48.5% of bus riders did not pay the fare in the second quarter of this year and paid bus ridership was down by almost 8% for the month of June.

At an MTA board meeting last week, Lieber said he wasn’t “blaming anyone,” but that “all the talk of free buses has an impact.”

“I’m not trying to tell anyone to shut up. I support affordability and discounts, we just need all of us to shoulder the burden together,” added Lieber, who has backed programs to reduce fares for those in need. ”We have to now turn as a city to reestablishing the principle that everybody shares in the responsibility for contributing to this system.’

Mamdani also said Monday that he and Lieber do share a belief that the city’s notoriously sluggish buses should be made faster, and he applauded the City Council’s efforts to broaden eligibility for Fair Fares, which gives city residents in need a half-off discount on all public transit.

“One in five New Yorkers struggle to afford the fare at $3, and we know that that is only going to be exacerbated the longer this cost of living crisis goes,” Mamdani said. “And we never want a New Yorker to be priced out of that.”

Last month, Mamdani announced a plan to speed bus traffic up by 20% across 50 corridors on the slowest 25 bus routes.

The average speed of a bus negotiating the streets of NYC is about 5 mph, per City Hall’s numbers.

_____