POLITICO contacted the White House, DOT and the various cities that would be affected — none immediately responded to a request for comment.
One city in particular has garnered nationwide attention for a plan from its mayor to offer free bus service. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran a campaign predicated on affordability, which included a commitment to “permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus.” On Tuesday, however, New York’s top transit executive derided Mamdani’s plan, calling it a “campaign bumper sticker.”
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the draft legislation floated by DOT, such cities that receive money from the Federal Transit Administration would be required to charge a fare. Otherwise, that federal funding would b…
POLITICO contacted the White House, DOT and the various cities that would be affected — none immediately responded to a request for comment.
One city in particular has garnered nationwide attention for a plan from its mayor to offer free bus service. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran a campaign predicated on affordability, which included a commitment to “permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus.” On Tuesday, however, New York’s top transit executive derided Mamdani’s plan, calling it a “campaign bumper sticker.”
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the draft legislation floated by DOT, such cities that receive money from the Federal Transit Administration would be required to charge a fare. Otherwise, that federal funding would be withheld.
“This policy would help ensure the largest federally supported systems are safer and more adequately funded by users,” the document says.
There are some notable exceptions for free service, including seniors, people with disabilities, children, students and veterans.
There are many questions about whether large transit agencies can sustain themselves without charging for the services. The Transportation Department’s pitch gets at that, with the proposal noting that fare-free policies “can result in unsustainable finances for the agency and potential safety issues.” It adds that some transit systems with free services have reported more disruptive passengers.
Joel Mendez, an assistant professor of transportation planning at the University of Kansas, who conducted a study of free bus transit in the Kansas City area, found that it encouraged more people to use transit and argues there are wide benefits to the fare-free system.
“If more people are using the bus, which the evidence suggests across a broad range of demographics, we could be significantly improving their mobility and enhancing access to services and resources throughout the region, including jobs, and that can have a positive impact on their quality of life,” Mendez said in an interview.
Alexandria, Virginia, offers free bus service, but because it’s population is below 200,000, it would seemingly not be affected by the DOT proposal.
Major events, such as the World Cup or Olympics, would also be exempt. That’s notable because the FIFA 2026 World Cup is taking place in several U.S. cities with major transit systems like Kansas City, Philadelphia and the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region. The surface bill, however, is not expected to be finalized before the World Cup takes place.
The 2028 Summer Olympics are set to be held in Los Angeles, California.
Other routes that are subsidized would not be subject to the regulation. This includes university systems or downtown circulators funded by business improvement districts.
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), ranking member on the House Transportation Committee said in a statement: “This proposal makes no sense. Transit agencies are pretty good at making their own decisions about how to operate to meet local needs. The FTA should be in a position to support them, not undermine them.”
A spokesperson for Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.