Fare-free #publictransit works

The city of Dunkirk in northern France launched a revamped bus system last year with a twist – it’s completely free. A new study shows that the programme is not only revitalising the city center but also helping the environment.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190831-france-dunkirk-free-transportation-bus-success-climate-cities 

Fix and expand or remove fares right away, which path?

There are public transit advocates and city planners who say that public transit must first be fixed and expanded before it can be made fare-free.

Why?

People have fought for 100 years for better public transit.

It has only gotten worse relative to need, and in some places absolutely worse.

The idea of fare-free is to force the issue. It will show that people want public transit, because ridership will go up. Then we will have the constituency to fix and expand.

Student #publictransit riders face intimidation in Seattle

On the #FirstDayOfSchool, the light rail fare enforcement is out in force busting high school students—before they get to school & get their ORCA cards that will allow them to travel to school for free.

Stop making barriers to our youth’s education! pic.twitter.com/VygXW2MrXj

— Jesse Hagopian (@JessedHagopian) September 4, 2019

Ridership soars with fare-free #publictransit

Since the introduction of free public transport in Tartu County last July, the number of bus passengers on county routes has seen significant growth, regional Tartu Postimees reports.

A total of 131,269 passengers used the free regional bus service in July 2018, up 35.2 percent on year from 97,083 in July 2017, Tartu County Public Transport Centre management board member Tõnis Piir said. This July, the number of passengers using the county's free transport totaled 153,049, indicating a further 16.6 percent growth on year in ridership.

https://news.err.ee/973636/free-public-transport-in-tartu-county-sees-ridership-soar 

CEO of Kansas City Area Transportation Authority wants it to be fare-free

Robbie Makinen, CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, has more important matters to discuss than his inability to see. Ask about his vision loss, and he'll redirect the conversation. 

Yes, he said, he woke up completely blind one morning in 2013, but, "let’s talk about free transit."

https://www.kcur.org/post/head-kansas-citys-bus-system-lost-his-sight-has-clear-vision-free-public-transit#stream/0 

Salt Lake City close to implementing #freepublictransit

Salt Lake City may soon become the first major American city with free public transit, as voters and mayoral candidates get behind the idea 0f eliminating fares as a way of attacking rampant air pollution.

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/08/08/salt-lake-city-may-create-free-fare-transit/ 

Kansas City considering #freepublictransit

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/kansas-city-considers-doing-away-with-transit-fares-citywide

Could Kansas City Become the First Major US City with Totally Free Public Transit?

Over 82% say you are not progressive if you don't call for #freetransit

Falling net energy, capitalism, and harsh degrowth

Economists have not understood the connection between physics and the economy. There is a need for a sufficient quantity of affordable energy products every moment of every day. In fact, we seem to need a vastly increased quantity of inexpensive-to-produce energy supplies right now if we are to fix the world economy’s problems from an energy point of view. The “lower interest rates and more debt” way of hiding problems seems to be reaching an end point. If nothing else, interest rates today are close to as low as they can go. https://ourfiniteworld.com/2019/08/22/debunking-lower-oil-supply-will-raise-prices/

Since 2005, when conventional oil peaked, we have been in a situation where energy prices are too low for producers and too high for consumers. A normal biological reaction to less energy input is to reduce growth. But because of capitalism, the human species tries to violate this principle and continue growing. This can only be temporary until the laws of physics enforce harsh degrowth.

 

City planners and urbanists must oppose #freepublictransit or lose their jobs

According to Vincent Kauffmann, a professor at University of Lausanne and one of key figures in sustainable mobility, “free public transport does not make any sense.” Getting rid of tickets in mass transit is judged “irrational,” “uneconomical” and “unsustainable.” 

However, if we turn to commentators from outside the field of transport, the perspective on fare abolition changes radically. Social scientists, activists, journalists and public officials—often speaking from cities where fare abolition has actually been put to the test—fervently defend the measure.

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/08/public-transport-can-be-free