D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
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Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#2Free as in a free lunch? I've heard there's no such thing.
I know of places where pensioners (over 65yr olds) get it free but not universal.
There are pros and cons to this of course but overall: people who didn't take the buss before are not going to now all of a sudden.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#3Making transit free really misses the point. The money is much better spent on actually improving the transit options, such as buying more buses to improve frequency, building new tram or rail lines, or general maintenance (cleaning) that make using the transit more appealing for all but the most desperate. Look at all the cities in Asia and Europe where normal people use transit. Very few of them are free, though they may be cheaper than in North America. The key is making it convenient and comfortable when compared against other options, especially driving.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#4Free as in a free lunch? I've heard there's no such thing. I know of places where pensioners (over 65yr olds) get it free but not universal. There are pros and cons to this of course but overall: people who didn't take the buss before are not going to now all of a sudden.
Free at point of use. It is paid for by taxpayers, like every other bit of public transit in the country.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#5Free transit is stupid. When surveyed, the huge majority (98%) of weekday transit riders say they want increased service over decreased prices. Everyone wants 10 minute or less headways. People will pay 3 dollars for a bus ride if the line has 10 minute headways or less and signal priority, but they won't take the bus if its stuck in traffic and has 30 minute headways. The reality is that transit funding for free transit is zero sum, and the riders of the system would prefer if the money was spent on improved service instead of free fares.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#6Free as in a free lunch? I've heard there's no such thing. I know of places where pensioners (over 65yr olds) get it free but not universal. There are pros and cons to this of course but overall: people who didn't take the buss before are not going to now all of a sudden.
I would absolutely take Caltrain more often than ~never if it were cost competitive with driving. But it isn't, so I actually take it low single digit times per year under special circumstances.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#7Free transit is stupid. When surveyed, the huge majority (98%) of weekday transit riders say they want increased service over decreased prices. Everyone wants 10 minute or less headways. People will pay 3 dollars for a bus ride if the line has 10 minute headways or less and signal priority, but they won't take the bus if its stuck in traffic and has 30 minute headways. The reality is that transit funding for free tra…
What percentage wanted increased service and decreased price? Was the question phrased “Pick one (1) of the following two things”? I would love to see the data on “What would improve your experience using public transit?”
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#8Free transit is stupid. When surveyed, the huge majority (98%) of weekday transit riders say they want increased service over decreased prices. Everyone wants 10 minute or less headways. People will pay 3 dollars for a bus ride if the line has 10 minute headways or less and signal priority, but they won't take the bus if its stuck in traffic and has 30 minute headways. The reality is that transit funding for free tra…
98% of consumers of any product/service would be willing to pay more but most places don’t allow this kind of price discrimination.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#9Free transit is stupid. When surveyed, the huge majority (98%) of weekday transit riders say they want increased service over decreased prices. Everyone wants 10 minute or less headways. People will pay 3 dollars for a bus ride if the line has 10 minute headways or less and signal priority, but they won't take the bus if its stuck in traffic and has 30 minute headways. The reality is that transit funding for free tra…
Your issue seems to be with funding. Fares are usually quite a small component of transit system’s budgets. We don’t require users of city streets to pay fares to use that transportation infrastructure, with exception of the occasional toll-funded highway/bridge/tunnel, and we spend many many billions of tax dollars more on those than we do on public transit. If free transit is a bad idea so are free city streets.
Re: D.C. free bus bill becomes law as zero-fare transit systems take off
#10Free transit is stupid. When surveyed, the huge majority (98%) of weekday transit riders say they want increased service over decreased prices. Everyone wants 10 minute or less headways. People will pay 3 dollars for a bus ride if the line has 10 minute headways or less and signal priority, but they won't take the bus if its stuck in traffic and has 30 minute headways. The reality is that transit funding for free tra…
Isn't public transportation already heavily subsidized? Surveyed people might not understand that to increase spending 2x without any increase in subsidies, fares might need to 5x or 10x.