With the aim of encouraging travel by public transport, cities in the United States have dropped fares for transit: Where is the bus or train fare-free?
Mamdani wants free buses for New York City: These are some cities where public transport is free
Metro, buses, trains and more… Every day millions of people around the globe use public transport to get from one place to another and New York is no exception. With Mamdani’s victory, New Yorkers are eager to see if they’ll have to keep paying for the bus and subway.
In the United States, more than 5.97 billion public transportation trips were recorded in 2020, according to official figures from the US Department of Transportation, with buses being the most common form of transportation used in the country throughout the year.
Zohran Mamdani: “Elon Musk’s endorsement is one of the most expensive endorsements that Andrew Cuomo has ever gotten because it cost him and the state of New York $959 million in tax breaks... that’s actually more money than it would cost to make every bus free in New York City.” pic.twitter.com/XxtSE0Cr3l
— HalalFlow (@halalflow) November 4, 2025
While the more than 5.97 billion trips is a large number, the truth is that the number is still well below the rates registered before the COVID-19 pandemic, when Americans made more than 9.9 billion transport trips, according to the 2019 report.
Aiming to boost public transit ridership, reduce car commutes and carbon emissions, and provide relief for low-income riders; various cities in the United States have begun to eliminate public transportation fares, making it completely free - fare-free - for a good part of the population.
These cities offer free public transport: Where will the bus or train be free?
Kansas City became the first city in the United States to offer free public transportation to its residents. Currently, travelers can enjoy zero fare on the trams.
In addition to Kansas, other cities that have implemented zero-fare public transportation include:
- Akron, Ohio
- Alexandria, Virginia
- Avon, Colorado
- Baltimore City, Maryland
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Breckenridge, Colorado
- Cache Valley, Utah
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Clemson, South Carolina
- Commerce, California
- Corvallis, Oregon
- Emeryville, California
- Hoboken, New Jersey
- Island County, Washington
- Missoula, Montana
- North Central New Mexico, New Mexico
- Olympia, Washington
- Park City, Utah
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Richmond, Virginia
- Savannah, Georgia
- Summit County, Colorado
- Tucson, Arizona
- Vail, Colorado
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It is worth mentioning that the removal of fares in the listed cities applies according to the type of transport used, as well as the respective routes.
Andrew Cuomo gave more money in taxpayer subsidies to Elon Musk than the entire cost of Zohran Mamdani’s free bus plan.
— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) November 4, 2025
It’s not unreasonable or radical to want our tax dollars to go to programs that help us, instead of as giveaways to billionaires.
More cities that could join fare-free transit
New York City, with its new mayor, will be exploring the possibility of providing free public transportation to their residents in some areas of the city. For now, all that remains is to wait for both proposals to materialize.
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