Peter Link 🍉🇨🇺🇵🇸🐧Something Surprising Happens When Bus Rides Are Free
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/opinion/free-bus-rides-mamdani.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.-VTN.A4m163H2hzed&smid=nytcore-ios-share
from #NewYorkTimes #NYT
[shareable gift article]
Feb. 13, 2026
Free buses? Really? Of all the promises that #ZohranMamdani made during his #NYC 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.
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.
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