Passengers to Ride for Free on One Bus Route Per Borough

By Yehudit Garmaise

Commuters who step onto one bus route in each of the five boroughs will ride for free for six to 12 months, possibly starting in October.

New NY legislation requires the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to choose the five free bus routes within two months after the state budget passes. An additional three months later, the five bus routes chosen by the MTA will stop charging passengers.  

New York’s budget, which state legislators continue to negotiate four and a half weeks after its April 1 due date, will allocate funds for the state’s fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

Although Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week that the five free bus routes would last for two years, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, said that allowing the five bus routes to run for free for more than a year would require the MTA to complete a federal environmental review, which would have delayed the program’s launch, Gothamist reported.