No fare! Free bus rides raise questions of fairness, viability https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/022224_free_rides/no-fare-free-bus-rides-raise-questions-fairness-viability/
It’s not surprising that free rides can juice ridership numbers for systems struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shift to at-home work. The question is whether such policies are financially sustainable — or fair, given that higher-income riders benefit too.
#Tucson #Arizona
@TucsonSentinel It costs money to collect, process and “police” fares, which is saved with a free fare system. I can’t remember where, but other cities that transitioned to free fares have seen financial benefits.
@SooJin @TucsonSentinel It costs more money to police fares than to make them free or quit worrying about who pays and who doesn't
@TucsonSentinel I'll listen to them when they bitch about the lack of tolls on the free roads they drive on
Why is only car socialism acceptable to Americans
@darwinwoodka @TucsonSentinel excuse me sir.
We're also totally fine with corporate socialism
Means testing is a way to create barriers for access, not promote fairness. Every car removed from the freeway helps every driver.
@TucsonSentinel It costs the same for a billionaire and a regular person to ride the bus. But since the 1% are rare to begin with don't think it adds much to the cost of giving away bus rides if a rich person takes a ride, too.
@TucsonSentinel Another viewpoint is that all city bus rides should be free and taxes should be raised to support it. It would cut down on traffic and pollution if more people rode the bus or the subway.