4 years ago, I came across this Robin Mazumder tweet that I really felt. 4 years later I still agree with it.
"People shirk at the idea of #freetransit while viewing free parking as normal and acceptable."
I guess there's another silly piece against #FreeTransit going around. I wrote in December:
Imagine if, when a driver demanded free parking, the other members of their automobile club chewed them out: “What are you doing? Without our parking fees, they’re going to cut the budget for highway building!” The car gets whatever it wants, freeways and free parking both, because it’s taken seriously. The point is for transit to be equally as popular and taken seriously.
I wrote this last month about the benefits of #FreeTransit and why transit advocates should not fall into the trap of either-or ("either free fares or more service") thinking. That isn't how the politics of funding public services works.
https://ismunifree.com is updated and has your quick summary of free/expanded Bay Area transit service for New Year's Eve!
Finally! At long last, #Muni is going to be free.*
*from 8pm New Year’s Eve to 5am New Year’s Day
Here's a little follow-up to my Chronicle op-ed that focuses on #FreeTransit. It's for more of an urbanist audience, about why all #transit advocates should get behind transit becoming fare-free, at least in theory—and, when there's a proposal that's thoughtful, practical and coupled with increased/improved service, in practice too.
I’m in the Chronicle! I wrote about how the missing piece to put SF on a less car-dependent trajectory is funding Muni, including more service and piloting free fares.
Go New York! #FreeTransit and more service, a winning combination. https://www.silive.com/news/2022/12/fix-the-mta-state-legislators-push-plan-to-make-local-buses-free.html
Pretty exciting to see free fares on the table for LA Metro. Fares only supplied 5% of revenue. That should make it an easy call to make the system more approachable - "just hop on."
There was an LA Metro presentation slide (anyone have the link?) that estimated a higher ridership gain from free fares than from all of Metro's planned capital projects put together. #FreeTransit #transit #transitTooter https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/fare-collection/news/21289641/ca-should-las-train-and-bus-rides-be-free-karen-bass-may-soon-decide
#FreeTransit is such a good idea, you have to root around for 40 year old articles to argue it's bad
I looked at the citations in an article published today against fare-free transit, and they're citing a study from literally 1980
From Denver, which also tried free fares in August 2022. This time around, "there were no significant overcrowding issues or increase in crime on RTD’s buses or trains as ridership surged by 22%." That evidently didn't support the narrative https://coloradosun.com/2022/12/01/zero-fare-colorado-air-pollution/
#FreeTransit is having a moment. In just the past week I've heard about a successful one-month free fare pilot in Colorado: https://coloradosun.com/2022/12/01/zero-fare-colorado-air-pollution/
New Haven and Hartford considering making free fares permanent: https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/fare-collection/news/21288804/ct-free-bus-fare-extended-through-march-31-but-new-haven-hartford-leaders-want-it-permanent
and New York City exploring free buses: https://www.thecity.nyc/transportation/2022/12/8/23499257/fare-free-nyc-buses-mta-boost