Free Public Transit: Public Transit Saves Lives

Friday, September 11, 2009

Public Transit Saves Lives

...when compared to the number of fatalities on America’s roads, public transit appears to wrap passengers in bubble wrap. For a culture that is obsessed with safety, it is unfortunate that public transportation discussions do not more frequently cover safety.... TheTransitPass

Acidentes de trânsito são a principal causa de mortes de jovens entre 10 e 24 anos, de acordo com um estudo realizado por pesquisadores da Austrália, Grã-Bretanha e Suíça a pedido da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS). BBCBrazil

Free is Cheaper

How is free transit cheaper? Don't you have to make up for lost fare revenue? The answer is that your city will save so much money in other areas, and quality of life will improve so much that you will get back much more than the lost fares. Some examples are listed below. If you want to see specific numbers, see our spreadsheet here.

Increased return on investment. Public transit involves large fixed costs. When fares are gone, there are more riders per vehicle, getting more value from the investment.
Reduced parking costs. With free transit, fewer people will park downtown. City parking authorities can cost $180 million a year, paid by fines, which are just a tax on customers and delivery services.

Reduced traffic congestion. Studies have shown that the time lost in traffic costs urban economies hundreds of millions of dollars.
Less money exported for gasoline. A medium sized city can export 1 million dollars a day in gasoline money for cars. Free buses will reduce this considerably.
Better quality of life, priceless. In Hasselt, Belgium, when fares were removed, people in hospital started receiving more visitors.