Mamdani isn't responsible for raising NYC subway and bus fares to $3

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office on Jan. 1, 2026, on a campaign platform of creating an affordable city that included free buses. Days after the inauguration, his critics noted that the cost of subway and bus rides in the city had risen from $2.90 to $3 and blamed Mamdani for the hike.

One person said in a video seemingly filmed in a New York City bus: 

[Mamdani] promised us a free ride, but guess what we got instead? Higher bus fares. […] The mayor of New York City has actually never had control over the transportation. That is controlled by the state.

While fares did rise in January, the change was not a result of Mamdani's policies or decision-making. The Metropolitan Transit Authority approved and announced the hikes in September 2025, during the tenure of former Mayor Eric Adams. As such, we rate this claim false.

On Sept. 30, 2025, the MTA announced the price hike, adding that it would go into effect Jan. 4, 2026, and noting that the MTA's board of directors had anticipated the increase since late 2024. According to a statement on the MTA website:

Fares and tolls give the MTA resources to operate a safe and reliable transportation system that New Yorkers can count on. Fare and toll changes are small and occur at regular intervals to keep up with inflation and avoid surprising customers with unpredictable or double-digit increases.

The 2025 MTA Operating Budget, approved by the Board in December 2024, assumed a fare and toll increase would occur in March 2025. The MTA is delaying the fare and toll increase to January 2026 to align with the launch of full tap-and-go on subways and buses.

Mamdani won the mayoral election in November 2025 and was thus not responsible for the fare increase. At the time of the announcement, Adams was still in office.

As the social media user in the video embedded above noted, New York City's mayor is not responsible for the rising cost of the bus or subway. Those decisions are made by the MTA, which is legally an independent corporation governed by a board of directors, though it does fall under the state's control. New York's governor recommends six out of the board's 14 voting members, while the mayor recommends four. The MTA also relies on New York state for its funding and the governor and legislature control the state's budget, giving them the power to exert significant influence over the MTA.

The 10-cent price hike was slightly smaller than those of previous years. According to The New York Times, the MTA had been increasing fares by 4% every two years, with the exception of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Per the Times, MTA CEO Janno Lieber said Gov. Kathy Hochul's financial support made it possible to increase the previous $2.90 price by less than 3.5%.

Mamdani acknowledged the price hike in a January 2026 post on X, reiterating his call for free buses in New York City.

Snopes has covered numerous rumors about Mamdani since he won the election.