In 2022, Westchester County eliminated summer bus fares on its county-wide system, the Bee-Line. The “Free Bee” program was touted as a way to increase ridership after the COVID-19 pandemic and help low-income residents access some of the county’s biggest attractions during the summer.
But three years later, fares are back on. Not only that, but county lawmakers are introducing legislation that would establish civil penalties for those that dodge the $2.75 bus fare.
“There's been some speculation, and certainly after we had free buses in the past, that fare enforcement is lax," said Democratic County Executive Ken Jenkins. "But you have to pay to ride, and this is something we're actively working to address."
Jenkins says the Bee-Line, which serves roughly 100,000 riders a day, is missing out on an estimated $1 million in revenue each month. The new bill would fine riders $50 for the first time they fail to pay the fare, and $100 for every offense after that.
The move is in contrast to a particularly hot topic in New York City: should more buses be free? The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wrapped a pilot program offering a free bus route in each of the five boroughs last year, finding ridership increased on each route. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, sailed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo and other candidates in the Democratic Primary with a platform that included making the buses faster and permanently fare-free.
Riders advocates are cheering the idea. Danny Pearlstein, with the Riders Alliance, says free buses would make the city more affordable for its poorest residents.
“In New York City, millions of bus riders are overwhelmingly low income and struggling to afford everything from rent to groceries to medicine," he notes. "Making the buses free takes some of the pressure off. It could save somebody $1,000 or $1,500 a year. That makes a difference in people's lives.”
Others are more skeptical.
“Just like that old saying, ‘There ain't no such thing as a free lunch,’ there ain't no such thing as a free bus," says Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission. "That’s just an illusion. The question is who pays?”
Rein says there are hurdles Mamdani would have to overcome to make free buses a reality — besides, of course, winning the mayoral election in November.
For starters, New York City has the largest bus system in the country. While it lags behind the subway in ridership, the MTA says city buses served more than 409 million riders last year, and the revenue from those riders contributes to its overall operations. Rein says the estimate for what it would cost to replace that revenue each year ranges from $600-$900 million.
“The city has a huge budget problem. Whoever is elected in November is going to, 16 days after they're inaugurated, propose a balanced budget and close a $5-$7 billion budget gap," he explains. "I’m not sure where that next $600-$900 million would come from, because I’m not sure how they would plan to close the first part of the budget gap. And that is before it gets whacked by the federal cuts.”
Rein says at least some of the money would likely have to come from the state, which is bracing for its own budget woes made worse by federal cuts. Last week, New York State Budget Director Blake Washington warned the state expects an additional $3 billion deficit next year, in part due to President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and its cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
The fare-free-bus idea would also need approval from the state overall, because the MTA is a state-created entity that is heavily influenced by the governor. Mamdani — or whoever wins in November — couldn’t just tell the MTA what to do.
Like Westchester County, the MTA is in the middle of efforts to crack down on fare evasion, especially on buses. Asked about the proposal of free buses on NY 1 Tuesday, Chair Janno Lieber appeared to dodge the question.
“I'm thrilled that investments in transit and making the transit system better and faster is something that people are talking about. It is, as we always say, the lifeblood of New York," said Lieber. "It makes sense for people who want to run the City of New York to be talking about that. We welcome it.”
Eric Goldwyn, program director at NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management, says free buses are not impossible, but smaller cities (with smaller bus systems) have had more success.
The way he sees it, the debate boils down to, “What are the city’s goals?” If the goal is to increase affordability for riders, then free buses would certainly achieve that — but so might expanding the MTA’s “Fair Fares” program offering half-off fares to more low-income riders.
Goldwyn worries completely free buses could make the system vulnerable to disinvestment in the future, which would mean poorer service for those that rely on it.
“My concern would be, if there are changes in the economy, that free bus service means, ‘Well, we’ll just scale back the service, and it’ll come less frequently, so that we're paying less to operate the buses,'" Goldwyn explains. "And then that makes the bus less attractive to riders, which mean people will not ride the bus as often, and it just leads to a vicious cycle of disinvestment and just worse and worse service.”
Goldwyn says he’s more focused on achieving a faster and more reliable bus system that gives riders more bang for their buck. He says there’s a lot the city can do on that front: it can allow riders to board at the front and rear doors, add more bus lanes, consolidate stops, and install traffic lights that give buses priority.
“You don’t want the bus to become the mode of last resort. You want it to be attractive and competitive," says Goldwyn. "It can be, especially in congested places, if you give the bus priority.”
Pearlstein, with the Riders Alliance, agrees what riders want the most is reliable and affordable service — and he doesn’t see why they should have to choose between the two.
“What I think the critics sometime lose sight of here is who bus riders are, and in New York City, bus riders are overwhelmingly essential workers who are underpaid and who have been squeezed in so many different ways in terms of time and in terms of money," he notes. "That’s why making buses fast and free is so exciting.”
Election Day is November 4. As for the Hudson Valley, Westchester County is not the only government to try free buses: this year, Orange County paid to cover free buses in both Newburgh and Middletown.
