Mamdani wants to test free bus program during World Cup as 1.2 MILLION fans come to NYC

He has been pressing New York Governor Kathy Hochul's office to have the metro service be free of charge during the five weeks where the FIFA World Cup games will be taking place in the region, per the New York Times.

The pilot program would be Mamdani's first attempt to test the theory of a free bus service, a promise he had made during his campaign for mayor. The program would take place between mid-June and mid-July, when over 1.2 million people are expected to visit the area for the matches. If the program is successful, pressure to make the program permanent could mount on Hochul.

Although the Metropolitan Transportation Authority runs many services in the Big Apple, the state is in charge of pricing and operations. During his campaign, Mamdani made the promise of "fast and free buses" around NYC. However, Hochul has been resistant to backing up the plan pushed by Mamdani to make the buses free and raise taxes on more wealthy New Yorkers to pay for the program.

The Big Apple, despite Mamdani's promises to offer more taxpayer-funded benefits for "free," has been facing a large budget shortfall. Mamdani said in January that the city is set to face a budget gap of $12 billion over the next two years. The mayor has already had to reverse one of his campaign promises to expand the rental assistance program in the city as costs have been rising.

However, while speaking to state lawmakers on Wednesday about the budget for NYC, he claimed that with the World Cup, the games set up an opportunity “to not just introduce ourselves to the world, but also to reintroduce ourselves to ourselves."