Should All Public Transit Be Free?

Originally posted by sh76
BBS. I've lived in the area my whole life and your one experience is the exception, not the rule.

I saw it several times, so you either don't use the metro or I saw a 7 sigma event.

The assertion was that the incentives to change are small. All historical examples show the other way around. But I invite you to find one where you are right and I am wrong.

As for the deflection into revenues, obviously they would be paid by taxes. Instead of falling on relatively poorer public transport users they would fall on everybody. If "cash-strapping" is a problem then free public transport would relieve the burden from those who need it the most.

BTW, do you know that you have some forms of free public transport in "your area"? Can you name them?

Originally posted by sh76
As for the Belgian city, can you determine what share of the increase in ridership was at the expense of car travel as opposed to at the expense of walking or taking other modes of public transportation?

That is a good question; I live twenty minutes' walk from the train station that takes me into work, so if weather is bad or if I'm tired, I catch the bus from the top of my street over to the station. On the other hand, I sometimes walk to save the £1.20 bus fare. If it was free, then I'd probably jump on the bus almost every working day!

Perhaps we need to look at whether car use declined in that Belgian city?

Originally posted by Teinosuke
That is a good question; I live twenty minutes' walk from the train station that takes me into work, so if weather is bad or if I'm tired, I catch the bus from the top of my street over to the station. On the other hand, I sometimes walk to save the £1.20 bus fare. If it was free, then I'd probably jump on the bus almost every working day!

Perhaps we need to look at whether car use declined in that Belgian city?

16% of passengers would have previously used a car
12 % switched from cycling to using the bus
9 % switched from going on foot to travelling by bus

The rest were NEW trips, people who would otherwise have stayed at home. So the biggest switch group was from car drivers, although I'm sure sh76 will find 16% a low number.

Originally posted by Palynka
16% of passengers would have previously used a car
12 % switched from cycling to using the bus
9 % switched from going on foot to travelling by bus

Ah - I obviously didn't read your original link, sorry!