Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air.

[marble falls]

Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air.

Ridership jumped, people cut back on driving and, over the summer, the city extended the program another year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/climate/iowa-city-free-buses.html

By Cara Buckley

Photographs and Video by Annick Sjobakken

?auto=webp&quality=90

Nov. 18, 2025

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Iowa City eliminated bus fares in August 2023 with a goal of lowering emissions from cars and encouraging people to take public transit. The two-year pilot program proved so popular that the City Council voted this summer to extend it another year, paying for it with a 1 percent increase in utility taxes and by doubling most public parking rates to $2 from $1.

Ridership has surpassed prepandemic levels by 18 percent. Bus drivers say they’re navigating less congested streets. People drove 1.8 million fewer miles on city streets, according to government calculations, and emissions dropped by 24,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. That’s the equivalent of taking 5,200 vehicles off the roads.

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Since the fare-free program began, people in Iowa City have driven 1.8 million fewer miles and emissions have fallen by 24,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, the same as taking 5,200 vehicles off the roads.

But in Iowa City, a college town and home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, objections to free buses, and even parking fee increases, have been muted. One exception was in the summer of 2024, when fees on parking meters downtown were increased to $3 from $1.50. After nearby businesses complained, the city reduced the cost to $2.25. That increase felt reasonable, said Betsy Potter, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District; the rates hadn’t been raised in 11 years


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[Prairie Gates]

1. Many of Mamdani's proposals have already been enacted in whole or in part

all over the country. The idea that progressive policy can only be accepted on "liberal coasts" is right wing propaganda. Progressive policies can work and be accepted everywhere because they are good policies.

[IbogaProject]

2. NYC will have to keep payment to ride

Our homelessand mental health crises will require a rebate program. Make the buases free for residents, require some kind of minimum good rider conduct to qualify for bus rebates.

That said I supported his canpaign and am hopeful for prigressive success.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. The freeness is a big part of making buses faster.

He campaigned hard on the idea that lack of fare collection speeds up the buses tremendously and also reduces assaults on bus drivers. That’s a lot to give up in terms of the free bus logic.

[IbogaProject]

11. Ok I am sold

The select busses load fairly fast and those involve tap and pay.

[ShazzieB]

9. I don't live in NYC and am therefore not familiar with Mamdani's plans, but free public transport sounds fantastic.

I can't really picture how making it free for residents only could possibly work, though, and a rebate program sounds like it would be a major pita both to use and to operate. Then there's the fact that a big city like New York is always swarming with non-residents who come into the city to work, study at one of the universities, shop, do business, etc. I worked in downtown Chicago for years, and I would have been pretty pissed off if the bus was free for those who lived in the city but not for me, a regular contributor to the city's economy.

I don't know exactly what Mamdani has in mind, but I hope he has some ideas about how to fund the things you mentioned without making things overly complicated or making out of towners feel unwelcome in the Big Apple.

[JT45242]

3. The parking situation in Iowa City is awful. There is not enough parking and no place to put more.

This is great news as a pilot project. Hopefully, other cities will follow.

Been living in the IC metro area for about 13 years. I avoid going to downtown shops and restaurants during the school year because it is so difficult to find convenient parking. Hopefully, this trend continues.

[maxsolomon]

7. Maybe take the bus into town then?

Its free!

[JT45242]

8. they unfortunately don't run out to the suburbs --

It was a major problem when they redistted the school zones. People without cars could nnot ride city buses to the junior high that the students were assigned to.

We need a combined metro area bus service that includes Iowa City and the main suburbs of Coralville and North Liberty and the tiny minor suburb called Hills.

[womanofthehills]

4. Albuquerque has free buses

And NM also has free childcare and free college.

[mountain grammy]

5. and a free train from south of Albuquerque to Santa Fe

[leftstreet]

10. +1