Vehicle registration fees, gas taxes and tolls are what's supposed to pay for road upkeep. Case in point- EV drivers have to pay a higher registration fee since they don't spend money on gas. We have reduced fair metro cards for those that need it.
I had sound turned off and for a second, I asked myself "Who is that Turkish gentleman and why is he trying to sell me yet another international eSIM plan?" until I checked the channel icon and subtitles.
Also worth noting that the cost of enforcing and collecting fares often eats up a substantial chunk of the revenue generated by fares (as shown in Jarrett Walker’s “Human Transit”)
This should not be discussion priority. Reliability, speed, frequency, comfort. Those should be the topic of discussion. I don't care if I pay or not, I care if I stay 20 minutes waiting and then the whole trip standing like sardines
It'a all paid by taxes. Difference being some taxes are for specific things bought or owned, while other taxes are collected from everyone but only some use (libraries, schools, pd/fd, roads). So, rather than a few individual paying for the use, EVERYONE pays :/
I am personally torn on taxes. Which taxes should be imposed on everyone, and which should be applied to certain things only an individual buys/uses? (Alcohol, gasoline, tobacco taxes, etc)
I continue to be amazed that anyone thinks public transit can't be free, or shouldn't be.
It only has benefits. Aside from the stuff you highlighted about societal cost NOW, more use of public transit would happen if it was free, and that pushes the calculus towards it costing less while being better and reducing usage of things that cost FAR MORE. Even if it was only slightly cheaper than private transit, it's still a benefit comparatively. aaaaa It's infuriating how this is ignored.
Like libraries its not actually free, that's what taxes are for, which are much more affordable than every one paying individually for everything. Also, good infrastructure has good side effects in the long run, people can be so short sighted.
You pay it in higher taxes, but lets be real that's not actually as bad a thing as people like to make it out to be. I will HAPPILLY pay higher taxes so I can have more "free" stuff like this. Everyone complaining about higher taxes for this stuff, stop it, get some help.
100% free, paid 100% by taxpayers. Because then taxpayers will use it (“i paid for it”) and then they’ll be “invested” and demand inprovement and be more involved in the idea of it.
Cycling and walking improves health, driving damages health (in lots of ways – accidents, air pollution, being sedentary), so getting people out of cars would reduce healthcare costs too.
I’m sorry sir but, are you serious? Do you really think that’s all free? Have you heard , maybe not, but there’s this thing called TAXES it’s been going on for a while so you’ve probably have heard the term somewhere… 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
You got a point, BUT: we nearly made public transit free in Germany with the “9 euro ticket” which gives you the opportunity to use every public transit in every city for just 9 euro per month. Ridership goes up a bit, but the effect was, that busses and trains were instantly in a very bad conditions, super crowded and people treated them as nothing worth. Daily riders switched to cars if possible, because the conditions went so bad.
If something is free or nearly free people treat it as if it’s worth nothing. I’m for much better public transport in Germany and around the world, but don’t make it free. People don’t worth free thinks. They will pay for it if it’s worth it to pay for it and they will treat it way better.
The true cost is what matters. Mobility being free leads to longer travels. make all kinds of mobility as expensive as the social and environmental cost truly is. so building highwys would become unsustainable, private cars unaffordable and steeet cars pretty reasonable. traffic should not become free, traffic should follow the principle of "cost truth". individuals still can be exempt or subsidised: pupils, single moms, elderly, handicapped etc.
My issue is safety – as I am from Los Angeles, LA Metro is known for drug usage, violent crime, etc. We do have programs that offer rides for free for low income residents, but they still have to tap in.
31 Comments
This is a clip from the Luxembourg episode of my new public transit show, Day Pass!
You can watch the full episode in the Nebula app or at:
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Vehicle registration fees, gas taxes and tolls are what's supposed to pay for road upkeep. Case in point- EV drivers have to pay a higher registration fee since they don't spend money on gas. We have reduced fair metro cards for those that need it.
I had sound turned off and for a second, I asked myself "Who is that Turkish gentleman and why is he trying to sell me yet another international eSIM plan?" until I checked the channel icon and subtitles.
Also worth noting that the cost of enforcing and collecting fares often eats up a substantial chunk of the revenue generated by fares (as shown in Jarrett Walker’s “Human Transit”)
The mayor of NY promised it for populist reasons. He didn't thought it through
This should not be discussion priority. Reliability, speed, frequency, comfort. Those should be the topic of discussion. I don't care if I pay or not, I care if I stay 20 minutes waiting and then the whole trip standing like sardines
It'a all paid by taxes. Difference being some taxes are for specific things bought or owned, while other taxes are collected from everyone but only some use (libraries, schools, pd/fd, roads).
So, rather than a few individual paying for the use, EVERYONE pays :/
I am personally torn on taxes.
Which taxes should be imposed on everyone, and which should be applied to certain things only an individual buys/uses? (Alcohol, gasoline, tobacco taxes, etc)
I continue to be amazed that anyone thinks public transit can't be free, or shouldn't be.
It only has benefits. Aside from the stuff you highlighted about societal cost NOW, more use of public transit would happen if it was free, and that pushes the calculus towards it costing less while being better and reducing usage of things that cost FAR MORE. Even if it was only slightly cheaper than private transit, it's still a benefit comparatively. aaaaa It's infuriating how this is ignored.
wait did your voice change? why it feels like a different person?
People live in litteral dark ages mindsets and its infuriating
roads are not free, drivers pay taxes, taxes pay for the road…buying a ticket is like buying fuel for a car..
Like libraries its not actually free, that's what taxes are for, which are much more affordable than every one paying individually for everything. Also, good infrastructure has good side effects in the long run, people can be so short sighted.
Great, now corporations are going to try to make walking and transit an overpriced commodity.
Public transit's job isn't to make money. It's to allow people to be economically productive.
It's literally why using the C-Train in downtown Calgary is free. It provides such an economic boost that it more than makes up for the lost revenue.
pretty good
I get mildly upset when the driver gives someone a free ride. I could reconsider.
You pay it in higher taxes, but lets be real that's not actually as bad a thing as people like to make it out to be. I will HAPPILLY pay higher taxes so I can have more "free" stuff like this. Everyone complaining about higher taxes for this stuff, stop it, get some help.
100% free, paid 100% by taxpayers. Because then taxpayers will use it (“i paid for it”) and then they’ll be “invested” and demand inprovement and be more involved in the idea of it.
Absolutely agree. That $1.5 cost the public puts in will even go down once you don't need ticketing machines and policing for that.
gasp Jason face reveal?! (This is my first exposure)
The priority must be making the public transit exceptionally good, not necessarily free
Cycling and walking improves health, driving damages health (in lots of ways – accidents, air pollution, being sedentary), so getting people out of cars would reduce healthcare costs too.
The fail point in your argument is that it makes sense. It will never sell to the capitalists.
Public transit could & should be free except for the fact that we choose instead to subsidize public roads and private car ownership.
I’m sorry sir but, are you serious? Do you really think that’s all free?
Have you heard , maybe not, but there’s this thing called TAXES it’s been going on for a while so you’ve probably have heard the term somewhere… 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
You got a point, BUT: we nearly made public transit free in Germany with the “9 euro ticket” which gives you the opportunity to use every public transit in every city for just 9 euro per month. Ridership goes up a bit, but the effect was, that busses and trains were instantly in a very bad conditions, super crowded and people treated them as nothing worth. Daily riders switched to cars if possible, because the conditions went so bad.
If something is free or nearly free people treat it as if it’s worth nothing. I’m for much better public transport in Germany and around the world, but don’t make it free. People don’t worth free thinks. They will pay for it if it’s worth it to pay for it and they will treat it way better.
Free is when someone else is paying and car owners are directly taxed to use the roads wtf are you talking about
The true cost is what matters. Mobility being free leads to longer travels. make all kinds of mobility as expensive as the social and environmental cost truly is. so building highwys would become unsustainable, private cars unaffordable and steeet cars pretty reasonable. traffic should not become free, traffic should follow the principle of "cost truth". individuals still can be exempt or subsidised: pupils, single moms, elderly, handicapped etc.
No dear, the roads are not free.
Apparently someone has never heard about fuel tax
My issue is safety – as I am from Los Angeles, LA Metro is known for drug usage, violent crime, etc. We do have programs that offer rides for free for low income residents, but they still have to tap in.