NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushing for free bus pilot program during FIFA World Cup

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News on Feb 10, 2026

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NEW YORK — The Mamdani administration is pushing for a free bus pilot program to be conducted over five weeks this summer as New York hosts this year’s FIFA World Cup, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily News.

The mayor’s proposal is to run all city buses free of charge across the five boroughs for the length of the five-week soccer tournament over June and July, the source said. The MTA, which operates the city’s transit system, is against eliminating bus fares.

As he pursues one of his core campaign promises, Mamdani’s team has had conversations with the Gov. Kathy Hochul’s staff about including the summer pilot in the state budget, which is currently under negotiation. Details about the proposal were not immediately available, although Mamdani’s team has estimated the cost of the pilot could be around $100 million, the source said.

Free buses are a signature issue for the mayor, who as a state assemblymember led a pilot program that made one bus route in each borough free.

But how, and if, Zohran Mamdani could expand free buses to the city’s hundreds of bus lines and coax state officials into agreeing to it has remained an open question.

“We’re always having conversations,” Gov. Hochul said Tuesday when asked about whether she plans on including any parts of a free bus plan in the upcoming year’s budget.

Janno Lieber, chief executive Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is against making buses free, arguing the idea needs to be studied. The fares are a key source of revenue, helping fund the MTA’s $21 million yearly operating budget.

Another potential wrinkle is the Trump administration’s threats to stop transit funding to any major city offering free bus service.

Spokespeople Mamdani did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The mayor is slated to be in Albany Wednesday to testify before state lawmakers to request funding for the city, including to state his case about a tax hike though he’s not expected to lobby for the pilot, the source said.

The news of the push comes after Mamdani put his considerable political weight behind Hochul’s re-election bid last week — dealing a significant blow to current Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado, who mounted a primary challenge to Hochul from the left before dropping out of the race on Tuesday.

“The governor and I do not agree on everything,” Mamdani wrote in his endorsement of Hochul. “We have real differences, particularly when it comes to taxation of the wealthiest, at a moment defined by profound income inequality.”

The push for the bus pilot also comes after Hochul dedicated state money to funding a version of Mamdani’s promise of universal childcare, another of the mayor’s core campaign promises.

Hochul pointed out on Tuesday that she delivered Mamdani a “big win” on working towards universal childcare, with the governor pledging state funding to help establish free child care for 2-year-olds.

Mamdani has frequently talked about the World Cup as a boon for the city’s economy and tourism industry. Late last month, he appointed a “World Cup czar,” former campaign manager Maya Handa.

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—With Evan Simko-Bednarski