A viral plea for free express buses

A Staten Island teenager is asking New York City's mayor to make express buses free for students, after her letter to City Hall went unanswered. Daeun Kim, 17, who is about to start her senior year at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, posted a video to Instagram on Thursday appealing directly to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

"Dear Mayor Mamdani, I'm a high school student. I wrote you and you never responded to me," Kim said in the video, as reported by the Staten Island Advance. The Post quotes her as saying, "I have only one wish, and that's for me to get free bus rides to school next year."

Kim's video has quickly gained attention, with the Staten Island Advance reporting over 106,000 likes and 2,800 comments, while the New York Post reported 97,000 likes at the time of its publication.

An expensive commute

Kim explained that her parents, working-class immigrants from Korea, have spent a significant amount on bus fare to send her and her brother to school in Manhattan. The New York Post put the figure at $18,270 over the past four years, while the Staten Island Advance reported she estimated upwards of $18,000 in the last three years.

All New York City students are issued OMNY cards, which provide free transit on the subway, Staten Island Railway, local and limited buses, and the Roosevelt Island Tram — but not on express buses, according to both outlets. Express buses are a key option for Staten Island students attending schools outside the borough.

Kim argued that the free alternatives are impractical for many students. "People bring up the free ferry, but for a lot of us, the ferry isn't close," she said, as quoted by the Staten Island Advance. "It would be a 30-minute drive or a 90-minute bus ride just to reach it, and then another subway after that to go to the school."

The New York Post adds that the express bus stops right in front of Kim's house, and that taking the ferry would make her commute three hours instead of the hour and a half it takes on the express bus, which costs $7.25 each way — or $14.50 per child per day.

A personal story

Kim's appeal is rooted in her family's sacrifice. The New York Post reports that her mother works extra hours at a nail salon in Brooklyn, and that she was a nurse in Korea before immigrating; her father also gave up his career.

"A lot of immigrant families in Staten Island commute to school in Manhattan every day for better schools and opportunities," Kim said, as quoted by the Staten Island Advance. "I have one year of high school left, and I don't want my mom sacrificing her weekend just to afford my commute."

The Staten Island Advance notes that her video ends with, "Thank you for listening to me, and I obviously love you, Mayor Mamdani."

Kim, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, told the New York Post she hopes to study psychology at Cornell University and eventually open an art therapy foundation for immigrants.

The transit policy context

Kim's request comes amid recent changes to student transit benefits. In 2024, New York City and the MTA announced expanded student OMNY card coverage, including four free rides a day, valid on weekends and at any hour. Previously, student MetroCards provided three free rides daily between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., only on school days, according to the Staten Island Advance.

However, the expanded coverage still excludes express buses, which is the crux of Kim's complaint.

No response yet

Kim told the New York Post that she mailed a letter to City Hall in June and, after receiving no response, decided to take her request public. The Mayor's Office did not immediately return the Post's request for comment.