Transit union boss touts Zohran Mamdani's free bus fare plan at campaign rally
Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen insisted his surprise presence at a Mamdani rally Saturday night is not an official endorsement of his campaign — just a nod to the Astoria assemblyman's free bus plan.
Still, his presence at the campaign event, which also included official Mamdani backers Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and state Sen. John Liu, did not go unnoticed.
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4 Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen has backed mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's plan for free bus fare.
REUTERS
4 Mamdani speaking at a Manhattan rally that Samuelsen attended on June 14, 2025.
William Miller
'Zohran has collaborated with me on the fare-free bus initiative. He advanced the union's position of fare-free buses,' Samuelsen told The Post, when asked about attending the Mamdani rally.
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'Fare-free businesses should be the future. It would drive up bus and subway ridership and be an economic engine,' said Samuelsen, who headed TWU Local 100 before becoming the national TWU president.
Without the disputes over fare beating, free bus service would dramatically reduce assaults on bus drivers, he added.
However, the mayor does not set fare policy. The state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority does, though the mayor appoints some members to the MTA board.
4 The union boss said that Mamdani's plan would 'drive up bus and subway ridership and be an economic engine.'
Stephen Yang
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The governor exerts more control over the MTA through more appointments, including the chairman/CEO.
Mamdani's campaign said it'd cost at least $630 million a year to replace the fare revenue brought in from the city's bus riders.
He claims the city could cover the loss in fare revenue through a 2% tax hike on city residents making $1 million or more a year, which would require approval from the state Legislature in Albany.
4 Samuelsen insisted that his presence at the rally was not an endorsement of Mamdani's campaign.
Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock
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The Mamdani campaign estimates the tax package would bring in $10 billion a year.
TWU Local 100 has not endorsed in the Democratic primary for mayor.
In 2021, the union endorsed Mayor Eric Adams, and Samuelsen noted Adams has supporters within the TWU Local 100.
Adams skipped the Democratic primary and is running on an independent ballot line in the general election.
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