L.A. Bus Riders' Union aims for fare-free buses

As local transit agencies cut much needed service and raise fares, despite the obligation the U.S. has to reduce green house gas emissions to curb global warming, forces in the world are calling for the restriction of auto use and working to implement policies to invest in a sustainable mass transit. Critical factors that shape the BRU’s programmatic demands – auto restriction, bus-centered system with bus only lanes and fare reductions as a means to free fares – ... Los Angeles Bus Riders' Union

Harvey Milk was Free Transit Advocate

Anyone that saw Milk speak knew one thing: no matter what, he wanted gays and lesbians to have hope. He wanted them to remain hopeful that things can, would and will change if we care enough to change them. He wanted everyone on the bus, championing causes like affordable child care facilities, free public transportation, a board of civilians to oversee police, neighborhood issues, family issues. He wanted his hope to be infectious, and maintained humor by pranking public officials like Diane Feinstein and the mayor and being often outrageous on television or in person in some way. HuffingtonPost

Havre, MT - New free bus service

The bus service will provide free busing from Havre to the Fort Belknap Agency and Box Elder and communities in between, and provide transportation to and around Great Falls a couple of times a week.
...Becky Farr of Opportunity Link, the Havrebased anti-poverty organization that wrote the grant applications and had been spearheading the drive to create a free public transit system, said a celebration for the first day of operations is being organized. ... HavreDailyNews.com

Edmond, OK, new free bus service

Oklahoma has long been a vassal-state of the fossil-fuel industry. Now in Edmond, seniors are no longer confined to quarters. A new fare-free bus service has brought freedom.

"It is a miracle,” said Virginia Samuels. "It is wonderful.”
"It gives me a lot more independence,” said Joyce Hoover. "We could go somewhere every day.”
They are riding Route 1 that runs every 30 minutes from Festival Market Place, the temporary bus terminal, to Walmart, and back.
In the first month of operation, Citylink averaged well over 200 passengers a day, said Shannon Entz, the city’s transit project manager. NewsOK

Must Read: Passionate defense of Whidbey Island free buses

...Even if Island Transit said right now that they wanted to charge fares, they couldn't afford to implement it without a major cash infusion. If people are this ticked about this tiny amount, how would they feel about them asking for much more? Having money on a bus increases security risks, increases delays (and believe me, people will go NUTS over even a three-minute delay - just absolutely NUTS), and charging fares also causes increased costs not only in equipment, but also in administrative personnel. I think it will drop ridership some, but not to the degree it has been projected.
Even still, the small amount the fare would raise would be negligible, and I have reviewed the facts and figures provided and done some of my own research. It might, in a few years, might help Island Transit break even. It will never bring them extra funds. This is a service to us, it isn’t done to make anyone money.... Letter to the Editor - South Whidbey Record

Global warming, you can fix it.

Photo from Reuters/Stringer via CommonDreams

See this picture? The same thing that is killing bicyclists, clogging commerce in your city streets, killing your town center with parking headaches, wasting energy, causing wars--the same thing is causing global climate disruption. The private auto. The time is now to do something. Do not think major storms will move national governments to action. They will not go against their masters. It is up to us. In your town, make public transit free. You can do it for 60 basis points of tax. The benefits are immediate and long-term. Educate all children, rebuild your town center, give the suburbs to the organic farmers.

Economic race, first city without cars, wins.

Traffic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh suffers from both direct auto-system pain, and indirectly from auto-system global warming from developed countries. It is time to turn the ship around. The auto is DEAD economics. Photo from Suitable Environment.

Zombie Highways

They're federal highway programs that keep going long after their original purpose has been fulfilled, gobbling up billions in tax dollars and laying down hundreds of miles of blacktop. They're zombie highways. PBS looks at a $3.3 billion proposed road around Birmingham, AL. Environmentalists don't want it, residents of the area where it's being built don't want it, even the Mayor of Birmingham doesn't want it. But because a group of business interests pushed for it, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) inserted it into a transportation bill -- which means that taxpayers nationwide will foot most of the bill. Transportation experts say it's the wrong road at the wrong time in the wrong place -- and that it symbolizes what's wrong with the way we build roads in this country. It's also devouring subsidies that smart-growth proponents say could be better spent on public transit. But is there any way to kill a zombie highway? PBS Blueprint America [On TV - PBS Newshour - Aug 6th and 7th.

Laguna Beach free trolley "too successful"

... last summer, ... total ridership of 460,692 passengers, according to the report.

...Crystal Dodd, originally from Germany but now hailing from Yorba Linda, took a "mini-vacation" with five other friends while their husbands were fishing in Alaska. "Traffic is horrible, parking is horrible so when we get here we just don't drive," she said. The ladies are planning on making their trip an annual soiree.

..."The more people we have in them, the more we're achieving our goal and that is to get people out of their cars," Iseman added. "Now the community recognizes it's something for all of us. People are so used to struggling to find a place to park that they've figured out they can take the trolley. It's an instant relaxer." ... LagunaBeachIndependent

New York Mayor proposes free buses.

Folks... this is a huge breakthrough. We have documented in the past that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg advocates free public transit, but now he has made a specific proposal. Read more on Streetsblog. He will be attacked for this proposal of course. A fossil-fuel industry which can get the U.S. government to invade a country is not going to fear a mayor, and will attack him. They DO, however, fear a mass, united movement for free public transit. They would be helpless against it. So come out against their trolls and stand up for sensible transport policy. We need free public transit in New York City, in the U.S.A., and around the world.