With very expensive tickets and equally salty transportation, New York responds to logistical criticism with the use of a student fleet for World Cup fans
The traditional yellow school buses, symbols of education in the United States, will be used to take thousands of fans to MetLife Stadium, stage of the 2026 World Cup final. To circumvent criticism of the exorbitant prices of transportation to the games and the complex logistics of transportation in the USA, the organizing committee of New York and New Jersey has closed partnerships to adapt the use of these vehicles, which will reduce the cost of operating the main venue of the tournament.
The scheme with the school bus fleet will offer 18,000 seats (about 250 buses) on departure days that do not coincide with the U.S. school calendar, dropping to 12,000 on weekdays. The improvised resource highlighted the heavy dependence on passenger cars and the scarcity of mass public transport options compared to European hosts or Qatar.
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As the stadiums are often located in suburbs far from urban centers – such as the arena in East Rutherford, 29 kilometers from Manhattan – the sudden demand quickly exhausts the availability of executive buses, making improvisation with the school fleet the only way to guarantee mobility, even if with a lower level of comfort for the adult audience.
In addition to the operational challenge, the weight in the fans’ pockets generated a public relations crisis. After strong pressure, the round-trip bus fare between Manhattan and the stadium, stage of the final, fell from US$ 80 to US$ 20. The significant decrease, however, only occurred thanks to a subsidy of US$ 6 million from the New York government. In return, 20% of the subsidized tickets will be exclusive to residents of the state, and fans who had already paid the original fare will have an automatic refund of US$ 60.
The logistical bottleneck also hit the rail network, managed by NJ Transit. The train ticket from Penn Station, which had been set at a very high $150, was reduced to $98. According to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, the cut was made possible by private sponsorships, avoiding passing the bill on to local taxpayers.
Still, the $98 fare remains substantially higher than the $13 charged on normal days. Officials justify the inflated prices by the high operating cost in the U.S., arguing that the temporary mega-transport operation will cost about $62 million to ensure the safe flow of crowds. The stadium, renamed New York New Jersey Stadium by FIFA, will host eight World Cup games, including the grand final on July 19.
