public transportation

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It would be cheaper to actually buy automobiles for every person who rides public transportation rather than maintain public transportation itself.

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It would be cheaper to actually buy automobiles for every person who rides public transportation rather than maintain public transportation itself.

87.13212312371237237123712371231212398123031272378123782317812378912389% of statistics are made up on the spot.

Which is why I didn't include any, jackass

But if you want to see numbers, then look here, which is a public transportation advocacy site:

http://www.cfte.org/critics/myths.asp

Myth: Overall, driving an automobile is cheaper than using public transportation

Fact: Public transportation is a better deal for the nation’s pocketbooks

The median driving bill in 2001 was over $7653, with public transportation costing $400 less per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. The total estimated cost of driving in the U.S. is between $798-836 billion, not including road building and maintenance.
In fact, US taxpayers and citizens spend between $400-997 billion per year in hidden subsidies to autos through emergency services, construction and maintenance, lost property taxes from road construction, parking subsidies, vibration damage, petroleum policies, trade deficits and uncompensated auto accidents.

Yet, somehow, they don't mention the "hidden costs" inevitably associated with expanding public transportation to rural counties, diffuse suburban areas, etc. If you want to look at someone making up figures and selectively including data, then start here!

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Sadly you have to charge... having said that, there should be a well-thought out system of exemptions, discounts and so on.

I'm a big believer in an integregated public transport system... you should be able to buy one ticket that lets you get from a to b using any public transport system avaliable between those two points.

The local Baton Rouge LA bus service has rased its fares from $1.25 per adult ride (same as Houston's, but encompassing only a fraction of the area) to $1.75. It is also raising the prices of its passes as well.

Mind you, fares are going up even though all the evacuees from New Orleans have increased ridership.

[Storebought]

Two birds with one stone:

To jfern: I lived for a time in New Orleans, which did have a satisfactory bus system, one of the few public services that Orleans Parish maintained with any kind of efficiency. Then again, owning a car in NOLA was a surefire way of getting yourself killed -- by the thugs from Ninth Ward ready to jack you, that is.

But, no: I prefer life in medium sized towns to small cities, a lot cheaper all around. Spending millions for public transport in places like that is, well, ridiculous.

To Mitty: The kicker to the fair hike is that (1) it's now more expensive to ride the bus in Baton Rouge than it is in Los Angeles (2) the number of buses that run per route will decrease. Metropolitan Baton Rouge has a population of a half-million, BTW.