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Newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, won election last year while campaigning on making Big Apple buses “fast and free” — but there’s a problem.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority oversees the bus system, not the city.
And while Mamdani longs for a future of free Big Apple trips, riders will instead be getting slapped with price hikes in a matter of days.
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Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, during a swearing-in ceremony at Old City Hall Station in New York, early on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The small increase in the base bus fare will go into effect on January 4.
“The base fare for subways, local buses, and Access-A-Ride will increase 10 cents, from $2.90 to $3,” according to the MTA. “The reduced fare will increase from $1.45 to $1.50.”
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Another change is already in effect as of New Year’s Day.
“As of January 1, 2026, you can no longer buy or refill a MetroCard,” according to the MTA.
At some point in 2026, the MetroCard will no longer be accepted, and coins will no longer be accepted for bus fares, according to the MTA.
NEW YORK CITY IS ABOUT TO TEST MAMDANI’S PROGRESSIVE ECONOMIC VISION
Signage advertising subway fare increases at the Dekalb Avenue subway platform in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“If you still have a valid MetroCard, you can transfer the value to an OMNY Card at a Customer Service Center. You can also spend down the remaining value before it expires by paying for subway and bus rides,” the MTA has noted. “Once cash is no longer accepted on buses, you will still be able to use cash and coins to add value to an OMNY Card at vending machines in every subway station and at more than 2,700 retail locations.”