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Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure. A faster / better / cheaper train or bus takes cars directly off the road. So you can add more subways / trains / buses / etc. to do this.
Adding more units, where existing units are underutilized , makes no sense.
No one would use it.
Now add 10 more trains so trains stop every 5 minutes.
Many many people use it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Both services are subsidizing their rides significantly, so while I think transit does need to work on improvements it’s important to remember that the comparison is currently unfair and will change when investors start looking for profits.
Mass transit is already subsidized and yet they are unable to make it work. Only one is subsidizing to gain ridership. As I’ve told friends and family it’s still cheaper than owning a car. If that equation changes I’ll re-evaluate our habits.
Gee, it's almost like people only use public transportation when it's reliable, cost-effective, and efficient.
Congestion pricing for use of city streets would quickly solve any problems due to increased use.
Not really. All it would do is increase costs on those least able to afford it.
If I have a concern it's the loss of public trans as a social/class equalizer (if you will). That is the better well to-dos will have less direct interaction with the less well to-dos. Awareness is the foundation of empathy. Less socisl "mixing" (if you will) probably isn't a good thing.
On a couple of occasions, I haven't been able to board a bus due to not having exact change. Once, I was with kids & family visiting NYC. We were planning to take a public bus from a suburb to the city. The fare turned out to be $16 for all of us, but I had $11 and some $100 bills. Guess what, I couldn't board the bus as they can't return change. The bus driver cannot accept partial fare from me. I couldn't give up 80+ dollars as change. If I had $20, I wouldn't mind not getting back $4.
I wondered why they cannot start accepting credit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay or any reasonable alternative. I then had to find a train station nearby which could accept credit card.
I'm very interested in the convergence of Lyft-Line/Uber-Pool service with bus service. It's easy to imagine Lyft and Uber running dynamically adjustable bus/van routes -- basically jitneys/peseros that take advantage of smart phones -- that are faster, more reliable, and cheaper than city buses. (Vans are super cheap per passenger if they are always full.) Lyft has taken small steps in this direction by asking Line…
I think we're going to see an explosion of vehicle miles when self driving cars take off, with the attendant congestion issues.
I'm sort of expecting a big change in the sort of cities people want to live in when delivery and transportation gets cheaper and more convenient.