@CRGonzalez @chrisjrn c’mon #Boston what are we waiting for?!
In particular, what’s going on with the bus system that was supposed to be updated in ‘23?
@CRGonzalez @tsyum @chrisjrn good transit systems actually do recoup serious money from transit fares - to remove fares in those cases would result either in cut service or additional taxes (that would probably be better spent on additional service)
for example, King County Metro (Seattle) covers 25-30% of its operating expenses with fares; that would mean making fares free would result in a cut to service of a quarter to a third
@streganil @CRGonzalez @tsyum @chrisjrn yep. The MBTA spends ~$50M to collect ~$150M in fares, so it’s a net win.
It’s great when a transit system can sensibly be free, but before we go making it free, we should listen to low income riders & improve service. This consistently ranks way higher than free or even reduced fares when we ask people.
@darwinwoodka @streganil @CRGonzalez @tsyum @chrisjrn sometimes we do, but not enough even when we toll roads.
But again: we should listen to riders, including low-income riders, & experts who, when asked, tell us that better, faster, reliable service is far & away more important than removing fares.
We shouldn’t be so arrogant as to think we know best for others, esp. when they’re so clear about what they want most.
@darwinwoodka @streganil @CRGonzalez @tsyum @chrisjrn yep! I’m with you.
We should absolutely stop subsidizing car use AND charge for road use AND charge properly for parking.
Carmen Gonzalez
ts 🚇
Nicole
Jeff Byrnes
Darwin Woodka