NYC Transit Policy Simulator: Free vs Faster Buses
Zohran Mamdani and urban progressives in New York face a decisive trade-off: does spending public funds to make buses free generate more public value than investing in dedicated lanes, camera enforcement, and signal priority to make them faster?
"Zohran Mamdani, New York's leftie mayor, is already talking less about free buses and more about faster ones. We explain why his fellow progressives might want to do the same." — The Economist
Allocating capital to dedicated bus rapid transit rights-of-way, automated camera enforcement, and TSP yields 2.45M daily riders. High frequencies prevent the notorious bus bunching spirals typical of slow unmanaged corridors.
Speed-Prioritized Corridor ModelFunds physically separated SBS bus lanes, automated camera towing, all-door OMNY boarding, and automated green light extensions at intersections.
Subsidizes base $2.90 fares. At 100%, all MTA municipal bus routes become zero-fare, covered entirely by the city and state fiscal budget.
Total active MTA bus fleet scheduled for 5-borough municipal deployment.
| Average Wait Time | 4.2 min | Cost Per Passenger Trip | $0.47 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus Bunching Rate | 4.1% (Low) | Commuter Hours Saved / Day | 138,800 hrs |