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Free NYC bus offered by skincare company halts free rides days after launch
By
Karen Yi
Published May 30, 2026
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Stephen Nessen
By
Karen Yi
Published May 30, 2026
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A skin care brand that started a free bus service connecting two popular Brooklyn parks has ended its rides just days after it launched.
The brand The Ordinary said in a social media post on Friday that it was suspending its service between Domino Park on the Williamsburg waterfront and Prospect Park but “working hard to get our bus up and running again soon, fingers crossed.”
It’s not clear why the service stopped running; company representatives didn’t return a request for comment.
The rides were started on Tuesday and were supposed to run for two weeks as a way to promote the skin care products and fill a gap not covered by the city’s transit system. Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on a pledge to make buses free and fast, but hasn’t yet delivered.
City officials said they’re working with the company to guide them through the permitting process, including registering and applying for a New York City Bus Stop Permit.
Jesper Rasmussen, the global brand president for The Ordinary, previously told Gothamist that New Yorkers wanting to travel between the parks had to take several buses or train lines to do so.
“ We are now leaning into transportation in New York. New York is, I think, well-known for the fragmented public transportation we have, so I hope this can help,” he said this week.
The buses were supposed to run through June 9 and offer hourly rides from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, and noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Rasmussen projected 1,000 people would ride the buses daily.
Jeremy Edwards, a spokesperson for City Hall said the Mamdani administration was “glad to see more people are catching onto the fact that New Yorkers need and deserve fast and free buses.”
He added that Mamdani “remains committed to finding permanent solutions that ensure NYC transit is both accessible and affordable.”
Ryan Kost contributed reporting.
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Zohran Mamdani
affordability
new york city
transportation
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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