STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — While Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still working to accomplish his free bus goal, nearly half of passengers are already riding without paying.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber said last week the agency saw a 7.7% decline in paid ridership in June, compared to the same month last year, reports the New York Post.
Lieber blamed Mamdani’s campaign for free buses, saying they encourage riders not to pay.
But fare evasion has long been a problem for the agency, a trend that began rapidly climbing after the COVID-19 pandemic…