Socialist Madness on Wheels: Zohran Mamdani’s “Free Bus” Fantasy Could Drive New York Straight Into Bankruptcy

New York’s far-left mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, has once again proven that socialist economics and common sense don’t ride the same bus. In Wednesday night’s final mayoral debate, Mamdani proudly defended his absurd proposal to make all city buses free, a scheme he claims will “benefit the city’s economy and environment.” His plan? Spend $700 million a year of taxpayer money to make public transportation “fast and free.”

But let’s be clear — there’s nothing free about it. Hardworking taxpayers will foot the bill while Mamdani and his fellow socialists in Albany pat themselves on the back for another grand “equity initiative.” The far-left assemblyman, who openly embraces democratic socialism, thinks bankrupting the city is a noble act of “economic justice.” It’s the same failed playbook we’ve seen in San Francisco, Chicago, and every other liberal-run city drowning in crime, debt, and moral decay.

Mamdani’s utopian rhetoric conveniently ignores real-world results. Kansas City tried this exact experiment — and it was a disaster. Fare-free transit drained city coffers, slashed routes, and forced taxpayers to bail out the system just to keep buses running. Now Kansas City is back to charging fares, proving yet again that socialism works only in speeches, not in practice.

Mamdani’s “free bus” plan is just the latest chapter in his radical agenda — which includes city-run grocery stores, higher property taxes for “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” and even government takeovers of private housing. In other words, a Marxist wish list disguised as “progressive reform.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned earlier this week that Mamdani’s platform represents a “creeping normalization of socialism within the Democratic Party.” And he’s right. With George Soros–linked groups quietly pouring millions into Mamdani’s campaign and far-left activists cheering him on, New York is on the brink of trading its skyline of opportunity for a skyline of state control.

If Mamdani’s vision becomes reality, the “city that never sleeps” might soon be the city that never works — a socialist experiment doomed to fail like every one before it.

Bottom line: Free buses today, financial collapse tomorrow. The people of New York deserve leadership grounded in reality — not another radical socialist joyride to nowhere.