Should Public Transit Be Free?

[msc545]

I realize this will annoy conservatives who think that the AIR should not be free and who would monetize it if they could figure out how- but still - try to answer anyway, please.

[Anonymous]

If not free it should be VERY affordable. I mean if you want to encourage public use of mass transit you need to make it attractive.

[goaded]

No, people don't value what they don't pay for, but it should be really cheap.

[msc545]

How cheap?

[goaded]

Well, London's busses charge £1.65 ($2) for any busses you get on within an hour of the first (free for under 16s, other discounts can apply). The total is limited to under £5 in any given day. That works pretty well and is a managable amount. It's also a great way to see the city!

tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/bus-and-tram-fares

[msc545]

It's only cheap if you actually have the money to pay for it

[goaded]

Well, it's half an hour's minimum wage for a full day's travel. If you're not earning money, where are you travelling to? (It's half price for a lot of unemployed job seekers.)

[msc545]

Perhaps traveling to a job interview or the hospital?

[goaded]

Maybe, I suppose. I think the price is not insurmountable.

[msc545]

Perhaps, but very difficult. Some people can only beg enough to make $ 1.00 per day. I think we all underestimate jut how difficult things can be.

[goaded]

There is always Shank's pony. It just takes longer.

[msc545]

Right, but many of these people have physical impairments that make that painful and essentially impossible.

[goaded]

They have the NHS and other support from the government.

[msc545]

I am in the US. They don't support anyone except corporations and the military here.

[goaded]

That is a problem.

[goaded]

Thanks for MHO.

[msc545]

we know it is, but it will never be fixed.

[msc545]

In the US, the Corporations and the rich are too busy gorging themselves at the public trough to worry about things like this. They will not worry until the mob begins building guillotines on the front lawns of their mansions.

[lightbulb27]

We'll, libraries are "free"... except we pay for them with tax dollars. But it opens them up to anyone, thanks to... I think it was Carnegie.

Water is free... not really... we pay for it with delivery, wells... it's darn expensive now and not a right.

Air is still free...

Public transit anywhere in the world or just local, or national?

It's not free in socialist Europe, it's quite pricy... actually really pricy.

So... what's the benefit of paying for transport with public funds when quite a few jobs are remote. Is the issue those that have to move around, their jobs don't pay enough to cover the transportation costs... because the govt has raised the costs of transportation so high?

Thus I vote for the following transportation to be free:

walking/running, biking.

I'm questionable about free cars... no

buses arond small towns... maybe

trains across country or around country... maybe

flights or ships elsewhere... maybe.. like maybe a person gets a ticket each year, paid for by someone else that worked hard or it's a lottery give away... that's fun.

Or maybe people could just work and decide to save their money for such tickets?

[msc545]

If There were enough jobs that paid decent wages. We would not be having this discussion obviously

[lightbulb27]

your point is valid. I have to think harder on this. ultimately, the gap between the wealthy and poor is wide as it has been other times in history, since we don't let the system collapse like in the past. So the solution to most problems is govt re-distribution via whatever mechanisms they devise.
I don't know anywhere it is actually free, everything costs something... just a question of who pays.

[Anonymous]

"Free" means nobody pays for it like the air.

"Free" does not mean your forced to pay for it regardless of whether or not you have any use for it.

Regardless the answer of course is No:
1: Moral, its reprehensible to force people to pay for services they don't want or need.

2: The nature of public transit tecnoligy plays favorites geographically down to the neighborhood making it even more unfair to charge for a service they can't practically use even if they wanted to.

3: Goverment doesn't really run anything well thanks the lack of consequences for poor service. So paying for anything thou taxes just means quality will suffer and costs will go up over time.

4: Like it or not most people like the state generally make poor design choices having no experience nor real consequences for said choices. As such people usually push for public transportation options like a train the cost and scale of which cannot even remotely be supported by the areas it serves.

You need high population densities for there to be enough people to support any kind of public transpiration option. The more expensive and powerful the option the higher the density. Unfortunately people don't usually understand this fact. As such even in cities where they push such projects they frequently end up losing money.

[msc545]

Sure let's be certain that people that don't want fire departments don't have to pay for them too. Ridiculous conservative "logic".

[Opinion Owner]

@msc545 people pay for a fire department to protect their neighbors from them, likewise for police.

People demonstratively don't need powered transportation as People can either:
1: Simply choose to have everything delivered to them (as many people in fact do),.
2: Choose to live in an area where they can simply walk to everything they need (as many other people in fact do).
3: Provide for whatever mode of transpiration appropriate for their area and frequency of use that they like best.( as everyone else does).

Almost nobody in this country actually uses public transportation even among those in areas where it is available. The reason is rather obvious. Public transpiration is
1: Very slow (always stopping everywhere and never going directly)
2: Inconveniently located (it does not pick you up nor drop you off exactly where you want to go usually).
3: Requires you know and operate on a fixed schedule when and where it is available.(You can't just go when ever you want based upon your schedule).

All of theses things add a lot of time to your day, and time in money in today world. So even in areas were the public does largely pay for it few people use it.

[msc545]

All of this is irrelevant and off-point. Modern transportation overcomes many if not all of your objections.

[Opinion Owner]

@msc545
Modern transpiration simply raises the bar. The Modern buss/train still can't compete with a Modern car in getting me & my things where I want and when I want in the least amount of time.

A car I also got to choose my own preferences in comfort and capabilities to suit my unique needs.

[msc545]

not everybody can afford a car

[Anonymous]

Lots of pros and cons here. Obviously public transit varies greatly in different countries and areas. In some areas, public transit needs a lot more investment which would likely lead to an argument for increasing prices.


From an economic perspective, many studies have shown that accessible transportation leads to better economic growth and development. Which should benefit all.


Personally tho, I’d like to see better public transit in my area before free public transit.

[NaultD]

I'll go a step beyond, What we should invest in is community sites that are called "Third places." From their seamless transit will doubledown on that investment.

Life can't just be home and work bodys. We as people crave connections no different then this website, WoW, newest multi player game or even sports game. Everyone craves a "third place" but we are losing them locally like malls. In large part of transportation.

[Anonymous]

Who would pay for free public transportation?

Remember your covid stimulus checks, who paid for those? That's right you did. Nothing in this life is free.

Remember when the democrats give you something it's usually to take from you at a later date or to give back a pittance of what they took from you so you will vote democrat.

The democrats will want those of us with cleaner air quality to pay taxes on it.

[NewsReader]

If passengers don't pay for transit then who will? Where will the money come from?

[msc545]

Tax money.

[msc545]

I am rethinking this ao that even a nominal fee - like a quarter - might be ok.

[NathanDavis]

it should be efficient... in the first place

[Justneedtokno]

No or there should be free days like holidays or like the public school break.

[Guardian45]

Free is NOT realistic, cheap enough to have HUGE ridership to reduce pollution and congestion!

[exitseven]

No, having to pay a nominal fee to ride it keeps the bum and junkies at bay.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yes but for those who qualify only i. e earn low wages, handicap and the poor elderly.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

No. Save or budget your money like anyone else.

[notwoke]

Its not free, it has to be paid for by someone and allocating the funds to pay for this has to be weighed against paying for something else we also think should be "free". Why should it be free?

[msc545]

Take money from the Police (who cost us way too much) and pay for it that way.

[notwoke]

a few cities tried this - doesn't seem to be working out so well

[msc545]

it would work great where I live - the city pays out millions of dollars to settle bad shooting cases thanks to the cops.

[notwoke]

crimes went up drastically in places where this was attempted recently and they are rehiring the police due to public demands

[msc545]

too bad

[lightbulb27]

@msc545 I doubt that interpretation, the city pays millions because of poorly trained citizens placing Police personnel in dangerous situations.

[msc545]

In the city where I live every time the cops make a bad shoot, the city pays out millions and millions of dollars in judgments. The cops are an incredible liability here.

[lightbulb27]

Or are the citizens the liability? # of accidental cops shot in Hissidic Jewish area = 0. # of accidental cop shootings in primarily Indian American area of city I used to live = 0. etc..

[msc545]

Not everybody is an hasidic jew.

[DaveToo]

We already pay for public transit.

[SnowedIn]

Yes it should.

[Anonymous]

Nope