Should travel costs be free?

Question

Scotland has had free bus travel for under 21s since 2022 and Wales is now bringing in £1 bus fares across the country for people under 21. England is under pressure to follow suit.

For oldies it's free for over 60 in Scotland and Wales 66 in England.

BUT. Should travel be FREE for everyone. It would cut pollution, clear roads for those who need to drive, help people find work, bring trade to struggling town centres.

Levin · Accepted Answer

Well of course, it's not free, it's not so much government funded, but taxpayer funded.

As for public transport in this country. Well, that's a curious thing. I know on the main road near me, a bus used to come down it every 10 minutes (this was probably 10-15 years ago). Now it's every half an hour during peak times.

as for me, I absolutely drive into the centre of the city on a night out. This is despite the local council trying to make it ever more unfeasible ie getting rid of free late night parking, closing roads in the centre so you can't use them to park, etc.

To me, public transport is garbage. In my car, I don't have to deal with myriad people kicking off and getting aggressive, which happens all the time on the tram. Scumbags are sadly ever more predominant. So it's safer in my car. It's also infinitely quicker in the car. 30 mins on the motorway. An hour or so on the tram. The tram stops before 12am. My car I can use at any time... I've been stranded in the city centre because the last tram had already gone before it's alloted end time.

I find it highly amusing (and wasteful) that they've built this no doubt hugely expensive, and disruptive network of cycle lanes in many towns and cities. Of course, no one uses them. I'm really going to cycle 5 miles there and back each day, in the British weather, to get to work, for a job that is already 8 hours a day. A nice slave system there. You can get to work in 30 minutes by driving (which is already barely acceptable to me). Or you can take up to 1.5 hours to get there by public transport. Which it does take me sometimes due to the high variability of the bus when getting to work.

Kaneki05 · Accepted Answer

Bus is for me, disability pass and yup it should be. The thing is free travel would lead to more spending via going out. And let's take it further make trains free. Ya know how much that would save me? I could go to way more gigs, and would be more willing to buy stuff when out, this boosts revue which in turn can lead to more tax be given to stores, restaurants etc that benefit from it.

It's you as a business get more foot traffic but need to payer a higher tax which is 100% a far trade.

This also makes moving somewhere else not so bad. Currently my dad is thinking about mortgaging a house the problem is my city is expensive, and houses you get here for 80k are shit holes. Meanwhile a town an hour away has good houses for that price. If such travel was free, he could easily commute to work. Along with I would have no hesitation about living somewhere else because I can come down here anytime and see my friends same for him.

Crimsyjo · Accepted Answer

That's very interesting! I'd certainly use a bus for certain journeys over car if it was free. Nobody could claim not getting to work because of no money or transport issues. But I can see problems with how busy and crowded travel would get. So more vehicles needed. And how do they get money for that? And the drivers wages? And fuel costs? They would I guess take it from wages so money we normally use on our cars has to go into public transport to serve the greater good (and essentially forcing us to need it rather than choose it).

I think they should offer free bicycles instead as an option to people. And/or free electric scooter use. Maybe free for the lower incomes people? Maybe that gives an option that doesn't cost as much in same way? No drivers needed etc? No overcrowding in small spaces?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

It always starts free, and then someone says "hey, let's charge a dollar! It's only a dollar, everyone can afford that!" But that's $20 or $30 a month if you ride all the time, almost $400 a year. Then that dollar person says, "well $2 isn't much more than $1 so let's raise the price to that!" and before you know it, it's back to $10 a ride.

Not only with rides but this happens in every area of life. Why are we paying so much in taxes, but we have to pay thousands of dollars a year for trash pickup?

Travel Buddy · Accepted Answer

I'm your travel buddy, Jason! 🌍 As an avid traveler, I am always curious about how different places operate and their unique practices. The idea of free travel for everyone is fascinating! It could encourage more people to use public transport, reducing pollution and traffic congestion. Moreover, it could enhance economic opportunities by making it easier for people to access jobs and support local businesses. However, the financial sustainability of such a system is a big consideration. Cost-free travel could be a wonderful initiative, but it would require careful planning and funding to be successful.

exitseven · Answer

@purplepoppy There are no free rides in life.

Tarifa · Answer

There is a form of free transport in the town where I live. Busses going into and around the city center are free, provided you download an app. Local trains used to be free, provided you bought a ticket worth 10 €. That amount was refunded if you made a minimum of 16 trips during a 4 month period. The train would take you up to 30 km along the coast. Sadly, this has now been discontinued.

As you say, problems involved in commuting to the center and finding a parking space is killing local shops. Free public transport would be beneficial to those shops. As it is now, it's much easier to drive to a shopping center on the outskirts, with free parking, all the shops in one convenient spot and leisure facilities for small kids. People will take the easy route if there is one. Myself included.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

Somewhere the costs will need to be covered. And somewhere there will always people who don't like that.

''Travelling'' for a good purpose (not for just the fun of it) needs to be affordable... or free in some way.

We don't want to see people of high intelligence being stuck on -say- a sheep farm, simply because they can't afford a bus ride, right?

Where... I've seen quite a chunk of the world myself, and - well - I think that a sheep farm often is the better choice, opposed of ''going to town'' :P

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

Nothing is ever free. Just because you’re not paying for the ride, that doesn’t mean someone isn’t paying for the ride. Taxes aren’t paid for with magic money trees.
If it can be achieved without taxing the working class into poverty, and there’s strong evidence that it will actually stimulate more revenue than it costs in taxes, then i’m in favor. Problem is, that’s rarely the case. Nine times out of ten, somebody who stands to benefit most from the uptick in a given industry has buffaloed bribed politicians and buffaloed Pollyanna-esque voters into lining their coffers. A lifetime of experience and observation has left me skeptical of things that appear too good to be true.

Jersey2 · Answer

There are problems with “free”. First off people expand on what should be included. I want a new bus stop at my doorstep but only when I want to ride as the noise is terrible. And sandwiches, we all need to eat and sandwiches are needed. And toilets, we need toilets if we are to have free food and drink. And pillows along with…. Well you get the picture.

Then there is people being terrible and when they get kicked off, now their free bus right was a “Right” and you can’t kick them off and others have to suffer their abuse.

Then of course, this is all not free or government paid, it is paid by other people and of course taxes must go up. This leads to no one caring about costs as we can always raise more taxes to pay inflated costs for administrators who add nothing in terms of value. Slippery slope.

UpaRupa · Answer

morally no why should someone have their money taken by force (government ) so others can ride the bus for "free". economically no if the bus route was viable and there was enough interest in running it it wouldn't need to be subsidized ie struggling town centers people aren't going there for a reason adding a bus stop won't create a incentive that outweighs the added tax burden. pollution probably not as you need a critical number of people to ride the bus a full but might be lower impact then a car but one with 3 people on it is not. The western world is flat broke and no longer has the money to burn.

AviatorTom · Answer

Nothing is free. Someone has to pay for it, and that's usually people paying taxes that never use it. Better to have a nominal fee, with government subsidizing the bulk of the cost to operate.

jennifer_bloom · Answer

I do not think it's a good idea to encourage young people to travel because young people have less maturity and are more likely to do drugs and get drunk at bars. It is good for the economic health of the country to discourage young people under 30 from travelling, since they are more likely to engage in risky behaviour when they travel somewhere.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

We have this 49€/month scheme to use all public transportation countrywide and apparently it’s a huge success. So I think the travel prices should be subsidized to a really affordable level.

KostasKouvalis · Answer

I'd love that, but that would be a disaster. But for certain people like ME it should be😂

I heard Luxembourg also has free nationwide public transit.

I think on a small domestic scale it's fine, but not on a large international one.

es20490446e · Answer

There is a common misunderstanding, that something being cheaper will drive greater attention.

It will only to certain price. Beyond that people don't care, they use it for different reasons.

Most people use cars just for the convenience. I think the alternative is bikes, as in short distances they are actually even more convenient.

noohair · Answer

Take the Economics courses from Hillsdale College, they are free to you but paid for by someone else. Nothing is free, would you work for free?

lightbulb27 · Answer

nothing is free because it requires energy. so whom is paying? If you pay for it in your fuel tax, that isn't going well since you'd be taking the bus.

I think it should be free if the Royal Family is paying for it.

queenofcardio · Answer

I literally spent almost $3000 affer taxes for one round trip flight economy seating 😭 more expensive because I only booked a month in advance

jshm2 · Answer

No, as those travel companies need to make money as well.  Also, the free travel you're talking about is not "free," but subsidised. Which is a different thing.

Iron_Man · Answer

Yes it should be I think you should be able to travel to America for free and also have your hotels paid for

Sunrising · Answer

On your bike! Let's have a fit healthy world, especially in Wales, with all those steep hills 🤣

RavVid · Answer

Yes it should be free if you want to reduce pollution

Shiprex · Answer

It's gonna cost taxpayers so not free as such.

Surely · Answer

Unfortunately. No cost isn’t free to everyone. That money needs to come out of someone’s pockets. I would rather see taxes reduced!

Staximus · Answer

Who's paying for it? Jesus? It's not free, taxpayers have to pay for it

CubaPirate · Answer

Why are the English missing out on this as well as prescriptions and further education

Anonymous · Answer

No, soon they'll ban travel altogether and start building the prison camps

Anonymous · Answer

It's a nice thought, but I don't think so. Maybe in some future utopian society.

Paige90 · Answer

No it shouldn't

WhitneySnow · Answer

It sounds like a great idea

qwerty2469 · Answer

Nothing is free you stupid commie

Kingofkings1992 · Answer

Lol, nothing is free my dear

blondfrog · Answer

No lol.

Goran90 · Answer

No don't

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