181–190 of 236 posts
Why not make it just free for everybody? Public transportation typically has profit margins of -50% to -90% anyway... just take it to -100% and get a huge boost in ridership! (And probably save some expenses relating to collecting payment/enforcement.)
Because nothing is ever “free”. s/free/paid for by the taxpayer
I find it interesting to contrast this with the situation just over the channel. In the UK, over 65s get free bus passes. Why has each country come down on different sides of who is deemed most 'deserving'? What's the rationale for targeting one group or the other?
Why would they 'waste' money on people that would never vote for them anyway?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is it seen negatively?
Because only a few people truly understand economics.
Why not make it just free for everybody? Public transportation typically has profit margins of -50% to -90% anyway... just take it to -100% and get a huge boost in ridership! (And probably save some expenses relating to collecting payment/enforcement.)
Except a boost in ridership is absolutely not what you’d want in an overpopulated city like Paris. Subway is so bad i’ve already witnessed people waiting for trains from outside the station itself. in the peak hours you often have to skip two or three trains because they’re packed.
I was born in Paris and have lived there for 30+ years, and the vast majority of the time I can take the subway just fine.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why they can't just get machines for that? That's actually what they do in Toronto now. It's all "Presto Card" automated.
No, you cannot 'just buy' a 'presto card'. Astonishingly, the 'change collectors', who only sell tokens don't sell Presto cards . Yet another mind-blowing bit of incompetence. In Montreal, not only can you buy temporary cards (with money or visa), but you can also put rides on them in a fully automated way. I will admit that the situation in Toronto may be temporary, but it's still utterly ridiculous.
I find it interesting to contrast this with the situation just over the channel. In the UK, over 65s get free bus passes. Why has each country come down on different sides of who is deemed most 'deserving'? What's the rationale for targeting one group or the other?
In the UK, old people vote far more than young people do. Additionally the party that has been in charge for almost a decade is focused on this older section of the electorate. They are famously unpopular with younger people. Why would they 'waste' money on people that would never vote for them anyway?
But yes, good point.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The alternative to a boost in ridership is a boost in car commutes. Or walking... Do you walk a quarter mile or do you ride the bus? If the bus is free the number of able bodied people using the bus for trivial distances could increase.
You walk. Riding a bus means you have to wait for one first. A 5 minute walk isn't worth the wait unless there are extra conditions (no walkways, ice on the walkways, heat wave...).
I don't think you can write off the decrease in foot traffic free public transit would cause.
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The RER was created in the 60s for this purpose and continually expanded since, no?
The RER brings riders from the suburbs into the city, but doesn't add to the infrastructure for transporting them once they're in Paris.
https://parismap360.com/carte/image/en/paris-rer-map.jpg
But even if cutting prices is within Paris only it will probably affect suburb-Paris traffic, because it changes the cost of a trip to Paris, possibly now cheaper than driving. The article is light on details, but it looks like these measures are taken by the city of Paris with the aim to reduce the traffic within the city.
Why not make it just free for everybody? Public transportation typically has profit margins of -50% to -90% anyway... just take it to -100% and get a huge boost in ridership! (And probably save some expenses relating to collecting payment/enforcement.)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
try line 13
That is a line that I always try to avoid :). I was forced to use it for a short period of time, but I was lucky, I traveled only on the section from Montparnasse to Chatillion which, I think, is not as busy as the rest of the line because most passengers transfer to other lines at montparnasse.
