by bostontrainguy
There have been recent cries from some northern liberal politicians to make public transit free. Should Amtrak be free also?
Railroad Forums
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STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 7:48 am Let me toss my 2 cents in with an example: Baltimore.I did the commute for 8 years baltimore to DC without a car, I know the local transit well, too.
Baltimore City has essentially two transit systems: the state-run MTA and the local BCDOT Charm City Circulator (or CCC). The CCC is free, while MTA runs $1.80/trip (with monthly/special needs/seinor discounts).
Before the CCC, the only way to get downtown from Penn Station was to take MTA's 3, 61, 64, or 103 off of St. Paul Street. Return trip would be roughly the same. With a MARC Monthly or Weekly, this would be free. Ether way, it would be crowded.
The CCC's Purple Line bus came, and helped relieve the crowds... but after a few years, the Purple Line CCC would be extended from Penn Station up to Johns Hopkins University... and get crowded *BEFORE* hitting Penn Station. What was taken by commuters was now taken by college kids because their JHU bus wasn't doing to job.
Today, after the great Hogan reshuffle of TransitLink, we get... basically the same thing, just new names. Instead of the 3 or 64 we get the Green or Silver, the 61 is gone, and the 103 is still around. The same problems still exist.
The CCC though costs around $7 million to run a year... out of the city's coffers. Which in this day and age is screaming "WE NEED MORE MONEY!!!!" This *used* to be funded by the merchants of the city themselves.
When I see proposals like this, I ask for the funding source over the long term.
Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:45 pm From one who admittedly benefitted from a "Seniors Ride Free" program some ten years ago in the Chicago area, I really had my guilt trips about signing up. I can well afford to have psid my own way, but the flip side said "Look a gift horse in the mouth"?PA has a "free senior transit" program, funded by state lottery.
R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 10:15 pmTo add one North American city has a free subway: Pittsburgh (within downtown limits, fares charged to/from outlying areas only).This is absolutely what I mean. Low fares for incoming/outgoing service, no fares within the core. And yes, funding is an issue as STrRedWolf mentions - I’ll address that later.
eolesen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 12:47 am "Seniors Ride Free" on Metra was a disaster. You had millionaires from Lake Forest, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Barrington and Inverness riding for free "just because" meanwhile students going to/from schools and other low income riders were still having to pay the going rate for their monthly passes...So true, Mr. Olesen, you can throw this "comfortable plus" retiree from Clarendon Hills into the pot as well.
Farebox recovery matters.
Red Wing wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:02 pm MBTA's Green Line used to be free for outbound aboveground service.Yes, but you paid double going inbound. That was the solution to collecting the outbound fare when the LRVs came on the scene to speed things up since it was very difficult for passengers to get through the longer car to pay going outbound which was the procedure on the PCCs.
bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2020 4:52 pmReminds of Staten Island. All local travel intra-island at no charge, except to and from the ferry terminal. SIRed Wing wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:02 pm MBTA's Green Line used to be free for outbound aboveground service.Yes, but you paid double going inbound.