TWU Says Free Buses Could Actually Work in NYC—Here’s Why
Okay, hear me out. What if New Yorkers didn’t have to pay for bus rides at all? Sounds crazy, right? But the Transport Workers Union (TWU) thinks it might just be the shake-up this city needs. Their president, John Samuelsen—who’s never been shy about bold ideas—is all in on Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s plan for fare-free transit. “This isn’t just about saving people a few bucks,” he told me last week. “It’s about jumpstarting the whole damn economy.”
Now, before you roll your eyes, let’s break this down. Because honestly? It’s not as wild as it sounds.
Why Free Buses Might Actually Make Sense
The Ripple Effect Nobody Talks About
Here’s the thing—when Kansas City made their streetcars free, something interesting happened. Suddenly, downtown businesses saw more foot traffic. Delivery guys could get to work without spending half their paycheck on fares. And that’s the kicker—it’s not just about transportation. Every dollar saved on bus fare gets spent at bodegas, laundromats, local shops. That’s real money circulating in neighborhoods that need it most.
And congestion? Don’t get me started. Ever been stuck behind an Uber on 5th Avenue during rush hour? Free buses could pull some of those cars off the road. Maybe not all, but enough to matter.
What the TWU Really Wants
Samuelsen’s crew—150,000 strong—aren’t just being altruistic here. They’re playing the long game. More riders means more buses running, which means… you guessed it, more jobs for their members. But here’s where it gets interesting: they’re framing this as a worker’s rights issue. “If you can’t afford to get to your job,” Samuelsen argues, “then what kind of economy are we really running?”
Mamdani’s Plan: The Nitty-Gritty
How This Would Actually Work
So here’s the proposal: start with pilot programs in a couple boroughs (my money’s on Bronx and Brooklyn first), fund it by taxing the ultra-rich—we’re talking people who own penthouse apartments they visit twice a year—and see what happens. The MTA’s screaming about budgets, but let’s be real: they’ve been broke since the 70s. This would just shuffle the deck differently.
Who’s For It, Who’s Against It
Young people love it. Working moms love it. The guys in suits at the MTA board meetings? Not so much. But here’s what gets me—the same people complaining about empty buses don’t want to try the one thing that might actually fill them up. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
The Elephant in the Room
Money, Obviously
Look, nobody’s pretending this is simple. The MTA’s got debts that would make your head spin. But here’s my take—we’re already paying for empty buses to drive around. At least this way they’d be full.
The Overcrowding Problem
Remember when they made the Staten Island Ferry free and suddenly everyone and their cousin wanted to ride it? Yeah, that could happen. But here’s the counterpoint: if buses are packed, that means the system’s working. And if it’s working, maybe—just maybe—they’ll add more buses.
What Other Cities Got Right (And Wrong)
Tallinn, Estonia did this residency trick—free rides for locals, tourists still pay. Clever, right? But New York’s… well, New York. We’d probably find a way to game that system by Tuesday. The real lesson? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but doing nothing isn’t working either.
The Bottom Line
Is this a perfect plan? Hell no. But perfect is the enemy of good, as my grandma used to say. The TWU’s backing gives it street cred, Mamdani’s got the progressive bona fides, and honestly? After the mess of the past few years, New York could use a big idea that actually helps regular people for once.
At the very least, it’s got people talking. And in this city, that’s half the battle.
Source: NY Post – US News
