#riders-alliance

#riders-alliance

The preliminary budget appears to contain no expansion of the Fair Fares program, despite the recent fare hike, the struggle 1 in 5 riders face to afford the fare, and the dilemma too many New Yorkers face between the fare, other necessities, and the risk of arrest just to get around, said Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein in a Tuesday statement.

"We chose not to stand with the mayor today as he made his Fordham announcement because we are concerned that the plan does not go far enough to deliver faster, more reliable buses riders can depend on," said Betsy Plum, the group's executive director, in an email blast on Friday. The subject of her email was: "Why we're not standing with the mayor today."

Zohran Mamdani was elected in part because he made getting around the Big Apple like the rest of us - by foot, bike, bus, and train - a central part of his appeal, and a key point of contrast between him and Gotham's political establishment. And if you listen to that same establishment, all that's going to change for the political novice. But does it have to?