This should be for everyone. If we really want to cut omissions, reduce traffic, spend less on infrastructure, and make more walkable cities, we should tax cars more and use the funds to pay for free transit for all.
Also a lot of people are using drugs, sleeping on the stairs path, and using chairs as bathrooms. Making it free would likely make it much easier to disrupt daily commuters.
Wow getting downvoted heavily. Looks like a lot of people either never took the subway in a big city or think that making it free would somehow not make access to the subway easier for disrupters?
Honestly the budget would be better used to subsidize transport for disabled people, increase budget for food banks, or build more shelters. I don’t feel our taxes should subsidize Ms. 100k/yr living in downtown Toronto or Mr. 800k home living in kitsilano to give them free transportation, unless all of the above are being properly addressed.
They found the same with library fines. The amounts weren’t deterring people from not returning their books. People generally return books. The issue was that those who were hit with fines either paid them off or couldn’t. And those who couldn’t, usually needed the books more than anyone. The same can be said with public transit.
If we really want to be a functioning economy where people can afford to both live and work, giving people a reliable, affordable means of transportation is one of the first steps.
Translink spends more maintaining fare gates and the compass card system every year than the entirety of fare evasion per year. But the BC Liberals forced the system on Translink so we are stuck with it now.
Public transit is a public service… the idea that it should be self funding is a pipe dream of conservative economics and a guarantee of long-term failure. We may want some level of fare to ensure safety… and in the short term we may also need to limit demand, but we should be encouraging as much ridership as possible.
Out here in BC we have an issue with poor line coverage, station throughput and extremely infrequent feeder methods. In my neighborhood there’s a half/full hour frequency bus route that’s so unreliable it’s pretty much better just to treat it as if it doesn’t exist.
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