New Yorkers want better public transportation and a more affordable city. Politicians argue that fare-free buses will deliver both. But eliminating fares could cost the city $1 billion, depriving it of revenue that could be used to make transit faster.
What do riders really want? I spoke to dozens of New York bus passengers as well as Eric Goldwyn, an economist and program director at NYU’s Marron Institute who has floated a vision for going “Beyond Free Buses.” What I found is that many New Yorkers aren’t asking for free buses; they want a transportation system that works. For that to happen, Gotham needs to think bigger than abolishing fares.
Kassandra Juarez rides the bus daily from her home in the East Bronx to work in Manhattan. The fare isn’t her main concern with the buses. Her biggest problem, she says, is that they “take forever to come;” and when they do come, they’re “often crowded and sometimes a little dirty.” Because she needs to transfer buses, her commute takes over an hour each day…