Mamdani reneges on key campaign promise to his base

It didn’t take long for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to bail on one of his core campaign promises.

Despite promises of no-cost transportation as he ran for mayor, Mamdani evidently will not be delivering free buses for New Yorkers, according to an interview with Politico, as he insisted that he is still “absolutely committed to making buses fast and free.”

“In Albany, no one has included the free bus plan in their budget proposals, and it seems like that’s not something that your administration is pushing hard for this year. Have you already accepted that might be something you’ll be pushing in 2027 instead of 2026?” Politico asked the socialist mayor.

Promises made, promises NOT kept https://t.co/lm6ZUYFxdU

— Sir Rottweiler 🐾 🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈 (@SireRottweiler) April 8, 2026

“Both legislative houses included language within their one-house budget proposals in support of bringing back a free bus pilot program. That is something that we are encouraged by, and it continues to be part of budget negotiations,” Mamdani replied.

“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,” he added.

“Public transit should be reliable, safe and universally accessible. But one in five New Yorkers struggle to afford the ever rising fare. Adding insult to injury: our city’s buses are the slowest in the nation, robbing working people of precious time for family, leisure and rest,” Mamdani’s campaign platform stated.

Mamdani has no clue how he’s funding his free bus campaign promise. pic.twitter.com/WEheGdYm5i

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 20, 2025

“As Mayor, he’ll permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus – and make them faster by rapidly building priority lanes, expanding bus queue jump signals, and dedicated loading zones to keep double parkers out of the way. Fast and free buses will not only make buses reliable and accessible but will improve safety for riders and operators – creating the world-class service New Yorkers deserve.”

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