Zohran Mamdani, thy name is Schadenfreude.
There's an old saying about socialism/communism that applies to New York City right now, as the new commie Mayor Mamdani is learning the hard way. Why? Because New York's commie mayor promised the city free buses, and that idea is costing the city millions. New York is fast running out of other people's money.
Political promises of "free buses" in New York City are contributing to a spike in fare evasion that is costing the city’s mass transit system millions of dollars, transit officials warn.
In July, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber blamed political rhetoric for fueling fare evasion, though he never mentioned Mayor Zohran Mamdani by name.
"There’s a trend that broke out," Lieber told reporters following a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, according to the New York Post. "With malice towards none, I say all of the talk of free buses, it has an impact."
Wait, I thought free buses were a good thing? So, isn't evading fares just taking the free buses program literally? I mean, can't the commie mayor just tax New York's few remaining rich people to make up the difference? It's not like he doesn't know where they live.
It gets worse.
The MTA reported that paid bus ridership fell nearly 8% in June compared to the same month last year. During Mamdani’s first six months in office, bus fare revenue fell by $31 million compared to the first half of 2025. Agency estimates show nearly half of bus riders now skip the $3 fare.
Mamdani made the slogan "fast and free buses" a major part of his 2025 mayoral campaign. However, the MTA is controlled by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state, rather than City Hall. While the mayor and Hochul unveiled plans on July 8 to focus instead on speeding up bus routes, experts and union leaders say the "free bus" rhetoric has already contributed to fare evasion.
Whoops. It looks like Mayor Mamdani's mouth has been writing checks that his butt can't cash.
Look, there's good reason for all this: Fare-skippers do this knowing that there will be no consequences for jumping the turnstile, just as the city's growing homeless population knows that there are no consequences for camping on the streets or in city parks, or shooting up in public places. This seems to be a common problem in all too many of our big cities today.
Now, though, the Big Apple would seem to be setting up a confrontation between city and state, and it would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall listening in on a conversation between Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in which the governor demands, "Would you please just stop talking about free buses already!"
Zohran Mamdani, like many "democratic socialists" (commies) seems to have very little grasp on what the various levels of government are supposed to do. He talks up making buses free when the city buses are run by the state; he talks about imposing taxes he has no authority to impose, and he promotes "free" and city-run grocery stores that are not the legitimate business of the city to operate, and which will destroy the few remaining neighborhood delis and grocers.
But there's a cautionary note here: Remember, before we have too much fun pointing and laughing at Mamdani's failures in New York, we should remember the classic commie tactic when faced with failure: Complain that they didn't have the right Top Men, and insist "We'll do better next time!"
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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