public transportation

[dazzleman]

Public transportation almost everywhere is government run and partially subsidized.  It has not proven to be something that can run independently of government subsidy and be able to turn a profit or even break even without charging fares so high as to drive away business.

Having said that, I see no reason to make it free.  There's no such thing as free in any case.  I don't have a problem with partially subsidizing it, since it is preferable in urban areas to having everybody drive, and there is a definite need for it among lower income people who don't have cars.

As it stands, kids going to school can use it free generally.  Otherwise, they have to pay.  That is as it should be.  I see no reason to make it free for people who are on welfare, etc.  How would that be monitored?  We're already doing enough, if not too much, for most of those people, and I see no reason to reward them further for being on the public gravy train.  However, a lower income person using public transportation to get to a job may be more worthy of consideration.

[nclib]

The public transportation in my town is free and I think that's a good idea.

chapel hill?

Yes.

[MHS2002]

Where I go to school, the bus system is free for students. Our school pays for part of the transportation costs.

[muon2]

In suburban Chicagoland it costs about $5 to provide a ride on a bus for normal passengers. The agency has a goal of recovering half of the operating cost from the fare, leaving the rest to come from government subsidy. Some lines gain opering fares by contracting with private employers to meet their employees particular needs, this can even reduce the cost to zero for those employees as a benefit.

The goverment role provides two primary benefits. One is to reduce traffic congestion, and consequently reduce road maintainance and improvement costs. The other is to provide mobility to members of the public without access to a car.

[David S]

I remember when I lived in Geneva I never once paid for the use of public transportation.  The two times I saw inspectors in the six months I was there I simply hopped off the bus, tram, or train before they got to me.

Lucky fool, you!! I remember being with my mom in the London Tube and when we tried to leave the station (Ealing Common) we were fined ten pounds as the inspector at the gate caught us not having a ticket that allowed us to travel beyond Zone 2.

Do either of you think its fair to cheat the system?

[dazzleman]

I remember when I lived in Geneva I never once paid for the use of public transportation.  The two times I saw inspectors in the six months I was there I simply hopped off the bus, tram, or train before they got to me.

Lucky fool, you!! I remember being with my mom in the London Tube and when we tried to leave the station (Ealing Common) we were fined ten pounds as the inspector at the gate caught us not having a ticket that allowed us to travel beyond Zone 2.

Do either of you think its fair to cheat the system?

What would you expect from someone of opebo's ilk?

[WalterMitty]

In suburban Chicagoland it costs about $5 to provide a ride on a bus for normal passengers. The agency has a goal of recovering half of the operating cost from the fare, leaving the rest to come from government subsidy. Some lines gain opering fares by contracting with private employers to meet their employees particular needs, this can even reduce the cost to zero for those employees as a benefit.

The goverment role provides two primary benefits. One is to reduce traffic congestion, and consequently reduce road maintainance and improvement costs. The other is to provide mobility to members of the public without access to a car.

ive read that in boston the goal is to keep the cost of each route to $3.30 per passenter or lower.

if the average cost creeps above that benchmark the route is usually discontinued or combined with an other one.

on a side note, the average cost per passenger for the 'night owl' service that boston provided a few years back was nearly $10.  however, they still charged the standard fare.

[2952-0-0]

Do either of you think its fair to cheat the system?

No, I don't of course. I was travelling with my mom and she didn't quite understand the whole process of zoning. We were fined ten pounds, we shut up and learn from it.

[zorkpolitics]

Public transportation is woefully inefficient in many cases, but continues as a govenment program and government programs never end.

In NJ, except for NYC commuter buses, I've never seen more than 4 people on a NJ Transit bus.
NJ spent a billion dollars to build the Camden to Trenton light rail system, not counting any funds to pay back the construction cost, current operating funds from the highway trust fund (ie gas taxes) pay $31 in subsidies for each passenger, who pays only $1.50 for  ride.
About 20% of the Federal Transportaion dollars go to subsidize various mass transit sytems, despite the fact that less thna 2% of Americans regularly use mass transit