When towns or cities make buses fare-free, several things happen. They are listed at the end. Here is the most important one:
So how does this mean degrowth? With fewer cars, cities and towns have less noise and more space. Some streets can become urban gardens and parks. People will want to live there. When people move to the city, for their future security, they no longer focus on producing more farm-hands, and start to focus on education. This causes birth-rates to drop. If you look where birth-rates are low, you generally see good public transportation. Making buses free speeds up this process.
Free city buses create a positive feedback loop. So, once to start, it gets easier.
- cities and towns become more attractive living spaces
So how does this mean degrowth? With fewer cars, cities and towns have less noise and more space. Some streets can become urban gardens and parks. People will want to live there. When people move to the city, for their future security, they no longer focus on producing more farm-hands, and start to focus on education. This causes birth-rates to drop. If you look where birth-rates are low, you generally see good public transportation. Making buses free speeds up this process.
Free city buses create a positive feedback loop. So, once to start, it gets easier.
- ridership increases
- pressure builds for more buses
- more buses mean more frequent service
- more frequent service means more riders
- more people have a choice other than a car
- medical costs go down
- there is less popular support for car subsidies like free parking
- city has more money for buses and education
