Post #2316302

So this year we will probably have a measure on the ballot to raise money to shore up public transit. This is a bandaid. Reliance on fares for public transit increases costs to the system through policing, fare gates, and financial services with outside vendors. Fares are also a regressive tax on the poor who need transit to get to work. And most importantly it creates uncertainty in annual revenues while public transit has steady, fixed costs, which makes the system more vulnerable to periodic crises like covid. Covid began in 2020. BART is still failing to recover from it. All public transit would be more efficient and more reliable if it received adequate public funding to run, and it would better serve those who most need it if fare was covered by public funding. I mean jesus fucking christ, the only viable argument against free ridership is that trains would be more crowded. Then fund the system to meet real demand. The rich have to fucking pay taxes. We need this infrastructure.