By Marc W. Polite
Good afternoon, my readers. It is early in the first week of the new year, and I have a thought that I would like to share. The inauguration of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City took place on January 1st. Noting some of the hostile media coverage, it is apparent that many believe that his stated affordability agenda is not workable at all. As some observers recall, one of the key components of his campaign was to make New York City buses free eventually.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Mamdani administration will be able to carry through on this. For this article, I am discussing the possibility of it. To amplify the conversation around the feasibility of this project, on social media I pointed to another free bus program that is currently active in an American city, Richmond. Here is what I said on Threads, Facebook, and Twitter:
“Anyone who tells you that NYC can not have free buses should look at the example of Richmond, Virginia. The buses have been free there for the past five years.” -M.P.
I got a few hundred likes on this, but then came the comments. A number of conservatives, who don’t follow me, somehow found my pages just to crash out. To quote newscasters of yesteryear, reaction was swift. In addition to the typical “who is going to pay for it” banter, came out the thinly veiled classism and racism about who uses public transportation. One particular commenter felt that this was an opportunity to go on about “thugs and hoodlums”- and my advocating for free public transport empowering them in some fashion. I had to throw the first “block party” of 2026 because of this. And before you ask… yes, it was who you’d think it would be that made that particular comment. I wonder where this person was on January 6th, 2021. Just saying.
Annoyed, but not surprised, I marinated on why the reaction was so visceral. One, the Black population of Richmond is anywhere from 40 to 42 percent. So to some, the mere notion of following the lead of a Southern city with a significant Black population is irksome. Two, it makes me reflect deeply on why there is so much pushback on improving public transportation. It appears that keeping public transportation underdeveloped when it could be, and expensive where it is developed, is partially about limiting the freedom of movement of working-class people.
One of the most insidious aspects of living life under the dictates of capitalism, is that it forces so many to lower their expectations for a better society. Every message around us from official channels screams “There Is No Alternative” – while we steadily watch our lives get measurably worse with each passing day. To even suggest that things could be better earns derisive laughter and an attitude of “how dare you?”
With that said, I stand by what I wrote. The NYC fare increased to three dollars this week, and greatly increases the burden on those who were already struggling. New Yorkers are well aware that the hike does not necessarily mean an increase in reliability. Its impossible for me not to contrast these two simultaneously existing realities. A budget is a reflection of priorities. A society can either choose to support its infrastructure or neglect and slowly destroy it.