But his big swing seems poised to collide with the political realities of New York City.

Supporters argue fare-free buses would reduce conflict, improve safety, and offer immediate relief to riders who depend on buses the most.

Skeptics, including on-air pundits and transit organizations, warn the idea risks creating a major funding gap for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unless the city commits to a durable revenue stream and a clear operational plan.

New York City bus riders already face some of the slowest service in the nation despite carrying millions of passengers each day.

“We’re the biggest ridership, and yet we’re subject to the slowest buses. It’s a fundamental unfairness. It’s an embarrassment,” Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at the Riders Alliance, told Fox News Digital during a bus ride through the Bronx.

That history helps explain why Mamdani’s proposal has resonated politically. Pearlstein said bus riders, many of whom are students, seniors, and caregivers, are pressed for time and money just like drivers or subway commuters.

Yet buses have long been deprioritized on New York City streets.

“That is why this administration’s call for fast and free buses resonates,” he added.

Pearlstein’s interview, among others, is part of Fox News Digital’s “The Rise of Socialism” series, which examines how socialist ideas and policies are increasingly shaping political debates and public policy in major cities across the United States.

Advocates point first to safety and reduced conflict.

Multiple interviewees claimed that fare disputes are a persistent source of tension between riders and bus operators.

“When you eliminate fare payments on the buses, the friction between passengers and the drivers goes away,” said Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). “It does create a safer atmosphere for drivers. That has been a sore spot for a number of years.”

Transit analyst Charles Komanoff, who modeled Mamdani’s free bus proposal, echoed that view, noting that altercations over fare payment have led to assaults on drivers in the past.

“When you eliminate fare payments on the buses, the friction between passengers and the drivers goes away,” said Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). “It does create a safer atmosphere for drivers. That has been a sore spot for a number of years.”

“Every year, there’s maybe a dozen cases in which a bus driver is assaulted,” Komanoff said. “Presumably that would shrink or maybe disappear entirely if there was no expectation to pay the fare in the first place.”

Advocates also cite data from New York City’s most recent fare-free bus pilot, launched in late 2023 under a mandate from the state budget.

The MTA selected one local route in each borough and suspended fares for nearly a year before restoring fare collection in September 2024.

According to the MTA’s evaluation, ridership increased on all five fare-free routes, with weekday ridership rising roughly 30 percent and weekend ridership climbing closer to 40 percent.

However, the agency found that much of the increase came from existing riders taking more trips, rather than large numbers of new riders entering the system for the first time.

The MTA estimated the nine-month pilot cost approximately $12 million in lost fare revenue and related expenses.

The fare-free pilot underscores the core argument in the free-transit debate: eliminating fares can boost ridership, but it also creates a measurable budget hole and does not automatically translate into dramatic “new” demand. Furthermore, money has to come from taxpayers, Albany, or cuts elsewhere if the policy is expanded.