11 days into Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty of New York City, he is moving forward with one of his top five pledges: making buses free and fast. He wants to raises taxes, but needs the support of New York State politicians. One columnist suggested he should cover costs by introducing parking charges across the city – for an average of $3.47 per day per parking space, Mamdani could not only cover free bus travel but make the metro free too.

Some reactions in America say that his policies are unworkable or radical, while they are completely normal across much of Europe. Fare Free London’s positive reaction to Mamdani’s win was quoted in Salamander News.

For further reading (listening), here’s a podcast which talks about the pros and cons of making bus free for everyone.

Published: 11th January 2026.