Free Buses Can Be a Reality - Just Look at Maryland

"During the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic downturn, many people couldn't pay their transportation costs, and often didn't. In New York City in 2021, some 21 percent of bus riders did not pay the fare, a figure that grew to 48 percent in 2024. Some local governments, including New York City, responded with reduced or free fare programs. From 2023 to 2024, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) ran a zero-fare bus pilot that served around 43,000 riders. The pilot, championed by then-assembly member Zohran Mamdani, offered free trips on one bus in each borough."

"To expand this small pilot to universal zero-fare buses throughout New York City is a tall task, with a total 2024 bus ridership of 409 million and 6,300 buses. As mayor-elect Mamdani and his administration look to grow zero-fare buses in New York, they have a stellar example just a few hours south of New York, in Maryland. The largest free bus program in Maryland by ridership is in Montgomery County, a suburb north of Washington, D.C. Montgomery County first made its "Ride On" buses free to all riders under 18 in 2019. Then on June 29, 2025, it made all of its buses fare-free for all passengers."

"The system has a fleet of nearly 400 buses, 80 routes, and provided 19.2 million rides in the 2025 fiscal year. In the three months since free fares were instituted, ridership has increased by 5.4 percent. Phil McLaughlin, General Manager of Transit Services for Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), said an estimated 1 percent to 2 percent of that ridership increase came from instituting zero fares."

During the COVID-19 pandemic many people could not pay transportation costs; New York City bus fare nonpayment rose from 21 percent in 2021 to 48 percent in 2024. From 2023 to 2024 the MTA ran a zero-fare bus pilot serving around 43,000 riders, offering free trips on one bus in each borough. Expanding citywide would need to cover 409 million annual bus rides across 6,300 buses. Montgomery County made Ride On buses free for under-18s in 2019 and for all passengers on June 29, 2025. The system runs nearly 400 buses on 80 routes, provided 19.2 million rides in FY2025, and saw ridership rise 5.4 percent in three months, with an estimated 1–2 percent of that increase attributed to zero fares.

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