When self-proclaimed socialist Zohran Mamdani rolled out his “free bus” proposal for New York City, it sounded like a campaign gimmick straight out of a college political science seminar. It’s the kind of idea that plays well to Twitter activists and urban utopians but collapses under the weight of reality. Fortunately for New Yorkers, we don’t have to speculate. Albuquerque, New Mexico, has already tried Mamdani’s experiment — and it’s been a disaster.
Albuquerque’s Zero-Fare Experiment
In January 2022, Albuquerque launched a pilot program eliminating its modest $1 bus fare. By November 2023, the program was made permanent. Advocates promised higher ridership, less inequality, and a transit renaissance. Instead, the city got rolling homeless shelters, a surge in crime, and a transit system that became more dangerous for drivers and passengers alike (Gessing, National Review, Sept. 25, 2025).
The city’s homeless population quickly realized buses could serve as a refuge from the desert’s harsh elements. While it may sound compassionate, the unintended consequence was that ordinary commuters abandoned the system, leaving behind buses filled not with workers but with people seeking shelter.
Worse, buses became getaway cars for criminals. In 2023, Albuquerque police launched “Operation Sticky Fingers,” targeting shoplifters. Of the 31 suspects arrested, ten had used city buses to flee their crimes. Twelve were caught with fentanyl or related paraphernalia, confirming that drugs were now part of the equation. The Albuquerque Journal editorial board had to concede that “abuse of the city’s free bus fare program is now indisputable” (Gessing, National Review).
Safety Collapses, Security Costs Skyrocket
As crime spiked, bus drivers themselves began leaving. Nine drivers quit in 2022 citing safety concerns, and by December of that year, there were 86 vacant driver positions. One city councilor reported a 25 percent increase in police calls connected to buses and bus stops. In other words, the very people tasked with keeping the system running wanted nothing to do with it (Gessing, National Review).
To stem the chaos, Albuquerque resorted to hiring dozens of new security guards. By July 2025, the city planned to add 87 guards to patrol the buses. During this year’s state fair, it even used a combination of private security and the National Guard to maintain order. Imagine that — a public transit system so dysfunctional it required troops to keep it safe.
The costs of these measures don’t come out of thin air. Taxpayers are footing the bill for security, while riders who once paid a dollar now contribute nothing. It’s a bait-and-switch that leaves working families subsidizing chaos under the guise of “equity.”
The Ridership Myth
The entire point of zero-fare transit, we were told, was to bring riders back. But the numbers don’t lie. In 2016, Albuquerque had 10 million bus riders. By 2019, before the pandemic, it was down to 9 million. Ridership collapsed during Covid to 4.4 million in 2021 and then rebounded to 7 million in 2024. That’s still a 22 percent drop from pre-pandemic levels (Gessing, National Review).
So did free fares fuel a comeback? Or did they chase away paying customers by making buses unsafe? The evidence points to the latter. People don’t want “free” if it comes bundled with fentanyl smoke and the constant threat of assault.
What This Means for New York
New York City is not Albuquerque. But that’s precisely why the stakes are higher. If Albuquerque, with a population of 560,000, can’t make free buses work, why would anyone believe it could succeed in a city of 8.5 million? The density, crime issues, and fiscal pressures in New York would magnify the same problems tenfold.
Even Democrats in New Mexico have admitted as much. Former Attorney General Hector Balderas said bluntly: “I think that the no fee for riders seemed like a well-intentioned policy, but there must be safety requirements. In other words, you can’t just let everyone on the bus with stolen equipment” (quoted in Gessing, National Review). If Democrats in Albuquerque are waving the red flag, why are New York’s socialists charging ahead?
Conclusion
The lesson from Albuquerque is painfully clear: there is no such thing as a free ride. Free transit is not progressive policy — it’s performative politics. It sacrifices safety, burdens taxpayers, and drives away the very riders it was supposed to help.
New Yorkers should look westward and take note. Zero-fare buses have already been tested, and they’ve failed spectacularly. Mamdani’s plan isn’t bold or compassionate — it’s reckless. New York has enough problems without importing Albuquerque’s mistakes.
Carol Hughes is a contributor for Direct Line News. She can be reached at Carol.Hughes@mcgopclub.com
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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