Fare-free city buses

Full citywide free buses ($700M/yr) conceded not happening in 2026 (Politico). Scaled $45M pilot pitched in Albany budget talks did not surface in the enacted $268.5B FY27 state budget, and the World Cup-window pilot is now broken (see separate promise). Elizabeth Adams named Senior Advisor for Fast and Free Buses (Apr). Next realistic window: 2027 state session. UPDATE Jul 8 2026: The 'Next Stop' bus plan (unveiled with Hochul) is silent on fare-free — City & State framed it as 'free buses takes a back seat to faster ones (for now).' Asked directly at the Wed presser, Mamdani said the free-bus fight is 'not at all' over. No funding path in FY27 city budget or MTA 2025-2029 capital program. STATUS: remains IN-PROGRESS — not moved to broken because Mamdani continues to campaign for it, but the operational deprioritization is now public.