The reporters were waiting, and the bus was late.<\/p>\n
As he has campaigned to be New York City\u2019s next mayor, Zohran Mamdani\u2019s proposal to make city buses \u201cfast and free\u201d has been among his splashiest. But while his push to eliminate fares has garnered the most attention, the other half of his plan would address an issue that governors, transit advocates and everyday New Yorkers have bemoaned for many years: The bus is too slow.<\/p>\n
So on Wednesday, Mr. Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, rode the full route of the M57, a crosstown bus that traverses Midtown Manhattan and is one of the city\u2019s slowest, to remind New Yorkers that he wanted to speed up their commutes. Awaiting him at the end of the line was a news conference with his supporters, two allied lawmakers and a host of journalists.<\/p>\n
Perhaps fittingly, Mr. Mamdani arrived 25 minutes behind schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat good is a free bus if it\u2019s a slow bus?\u201d Mr. Mamdani said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are also fighting to make these buses fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York City\u2019s bus system is a vital lifeline, particularly in parts of boroughs outside Manhattan that the city\u2019s arterial subway system does not reach. Buses generally serve New Yorkers who are older and poorer than those riding the subway. And because most subway stations lack elevators and are not fully accessible, buses provide valuable connections for many New Yorkers with mobility issues.<\/p>\n
Those riders are increasingly frustrated. New York has some of the slowest buses in the nation, with a citywide average speed of about 8 miles per hour. Though both Mayor Eric Adams and his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, vowed to speed them up, progress, like many of the buses, has been behind schedule.<\/p>\n
Mr. Adams, in particular, pledged to create 150 miles of bus lanes<\/a> in four years, and has fallen far short<\/a>. His administration has also stalled projects<\/a> meant to help boost transit use, notably rolling back a plan<\/a> to address bus infrastructure on Fordham Road in the Bronx.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, wants to build more dedicated bus lanes across the city and create more busways, which severely restrict local car traffic, on major arteries. He also wants more dedicated bus loading zones on city streets.<\/p>\n Sitting in a window seat, Mr. Mamdani said Wednesday that if elected, he would be willing to commute by bus, subway or bike from Gracie Mansion to City Hall. He said he had \u201cthe fondest memories\u201d of the M60 bus, which runs from the Upper West Side through Harlem and across Queens on its way to LaGuardia Airport.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of the fastest buses that I\u2019ve been on in New York City,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n