MTA boss Lieber expects Mayor-elect Mamdani to move quickly on building out bus lane network to full potential

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Tuesday that he expects Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration to “move quickly” on building the number of bus lanes and busways required by city law — something the Adams administration has missed benchmarks on for several years.

Lieber, during an annual CityLaw breakfast event at New York Law School on Dec. 2, contended the MTA has been “hamstrung” in delivering faster bus service due to what he described as the Adams administration’s “inability” to produce the number of new protected bus lane miles required by city law during its tenure. The legal requirement comes from the 2019 NYC Streets Plan, which mandates the city construct an average 30 miles of new protected bus lanes per year between 2023 and next year.

The MTA boss said he welcomes a new mayor who made speeding up city buses a centerpiece of their run for City Hall.

“There’s a new administration coming that’s made buses a huge piece of their campaign, and we welcome that,” Lieber said.

Bus lane and bus corridor photo enforcement signs on Staten Island.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

However, Lieber made clear that his excitement comes with the expectation that Mamdani’s administration will waste no time in delivering on its campaign pledge to expedite city bus service.

Unlike Mamdani’s other promise to eliminate fares for city buses, which would require state approval, his administration, via the city Department of Transportation, will have direct control over building out the bus lane network. Mamdani indicated over the summer that he would move to complete the busway projects that Adams’ administration had either modified or abandoned.

Lieber is optimistic that the DOT, under Mamdani, will accelerate bus lane construction efforts.

“Some things don’t need a ton of analysis and negotiation, and one of them is the law about bus lanes and busways,” Lieber said. “So I do expect to see, after the inauguration day, pretty fast, that the city will move quickly to make good on those legally required commitments. And help us make more progress on the bus system.”

Spokespeople for Mamdani’s transition team and DOT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The DOT has missed numerous annual benchmarks for new protected bus lane construction year after year under the Adams administration. The agency built 13.5 new miles of bus lanes last year; while that is more than it constructed in any other year, it is still less than half of the 30-mile target as outlined in city law.

In 2024, the city built just 5.2 miles of protected bus lanes, when it was still required to construct 30. And in 2022, it only created 4.4 miles of new bus lanes, instead of the mandated 20.

Adams’ administration also scaled back or stalled proposed busway projects on Fordham Road and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx.

Meanwhile, transit advocates are hopeful things will be different under the new mayor.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance, told amNewYork that his group is “psyched” for the Mamdani administration.

“Riders have been waiting for stalled bus projects under Eric Adams and Zohran Mamdani has given every indication that he wants the bus to be fast,” Pearlstein said. “So we are looking forward to working together to complete projects like the Fordham busway, the Tremont busway.”

Pearlstein said he believes the new mayor will quickly get to work on meeting the Streets Plan targets.

“DOT has the resources, they have the energy,” he said. “What they haven’t had is the loyalty from City Hall, and I think that’s what’s about to shift.”