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Zohran Mamdani: “These are the slowest buses in America.”

Featuring: Zohran Mamdani, Democratic | Mayor of New York City

Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In

Published December 16, 2025 | Video Starts at 41:11

In New York and in many places in the world, if people cannot afford to live, then they don't even want to be part of that society. The buses help me understand why. Faster buses and free buses. So These are the slowest buses in America. Okay. That's not like, what do you mean by that? Like the speed that they go. Right. We're talking about an average speed in certain parts of Manhattan around five miles an hour. (41:11–41:14)

CLAIM

Asserts that New York City buses are the slowest in the United States.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Zohran Mamdani

“City of eight and a half million people, about two and a half million live in housing called rent stabilized.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 26:55-27:01
“We have seen this board raise the rent like it has under Eric Adams, more than 12%.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 27:29-27:35
“We're talking about an average speed in certain parts of Manhattan around five miles an hour.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 41:18-41:25
“It costs $2.90 [to ride the bus]. That is out of reach for one in five New Yorkers.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 41:34-41:40
“After a year, assaults on bus drivers dropped by 38.9% on the bus drivers.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 42:06-42:12
“Bus drivers and unions have shared anecdotally that about 50% of assaults happen around the farebox.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 42:20-42:30
“In Boston, you cut the dwell time by 23% [by making buses free].”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 43:31-43:34
“The average salary of a bus rider is around $30,000 a year.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 44:10-44:15
“The MTA, by last estimate, when they were testifying at the state, they said about 40% of eligible New Yorkers are enrolled [in Fair Fares].”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 46:11-46:20
“The average cost of childcare in New York City for one child is $22,500.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 49:31-49:37
“It is cheaper to send that same child 18 years later to the City University of New York than it is to find childcare for them.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 49:42-49:50
“In 2022, we lost $23 billion in economic activity because of the absence of universal child care.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 50:02-50:11
“Child care workers cannot live off of the average salary at a home based setting of $10 an hour.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 50:25-50:31
“80% of New Yorkers with children under five cannot afford childcare.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 53:09-53:14
“Right now is the time where we are vetting applicants who are making hiring decisions.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 15:48-15:55
“We want to make the decisions and the appointments in advance of January 1st.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 16:11-16:15
“So far, we have made a few decisions of first deputy mayor, you know, chief of staff, police commissioner.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 16:18-16:27
“He transformed the culture of the Office of Management and Budget from a culture of no to a culture of how.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 18:25-18:34
“You want to deliver universal childcare, you want to make buses fast and free.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 18:40-18:44
“It's not enough in a city where one in four people live in poverty.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 19:42-19:45
“It seems like Republicans have a limitless imagination.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 20:49-20:53
“As Democrats, we're constructing an ever lowering ceiling of possibility.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 20:53-20:58
“We built a campaign around three policy commitments: freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants, making the slowest buses in America fast…”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 25:00-25:08
“Making the slowest buses in America fast and free.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 25:02-25:06
“Delivering universal childcare.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 25:05-25:08
“Freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 26:52-26:55
“Rent stabilized basically applies to half of all tenants in New York City.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 27:10-27:14
“Their rent, whether it will increase or stay the same, is determined by a board called the Rent Guidelines Board.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 27:14-27:21
“The board is composed of nine appointees, all of whom are appointed by the mayor.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 27:21-27:26
“Making buses fast and free, delivering universal childcare, these are things that have to be done in partnership with Albany state…”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 28:02-28:09
“The city is effectively a creature of the state, especially after the 1970s fiscal crisis.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 28:22-28:28
“One of the most impressive achievements in city politics in the last few decades was the creation of universal pre-k.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 28:27-28:35
“Mayor de Blasio, who ran on [universal pre-k] as part of his agenda, needed Albany to get it done.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 28:38-28:45
“More than a million New Yorkers ride the bus.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 41:32-41:34
“We made five bus routes free in New York City.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 42:01-42:04
“More than 10% of the new riders on these five bus routes were otherwise going to use private [transportation].”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 43:06-43:11
“There already exists a program in New York City called Fair Fares.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 46:03-46:07
“The most significant increase in riders was among New Yorkers making $28,000 a year or less.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 47:09-47:15
“Less than 20% of them [New Yorkers making $28,000 or less] were enrolled in [Fair Fares] program.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 47:19-47:19
“Companies are having to provide a service that should be provided by the city and the state.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 49:06-49:11
“After housing, the number one thing driving people out of this city, [is] childcare.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 50:15-50:15
“We have Universal Pre K. We have 3k in New York City, but it is broken.”
Zohran Mamdani: New York's New Mayor Pops In | Uploaded December 16, 2025 | 52:50-52:55