Friday, July 3, 2015

Make public transport free for Auckland students

Stuff.co.nz: "We begin a culture change that gets young people used to using public transport.

If we can begin to change the mindset that public transport is a less than optimal/less than cool option, over time, we may be able to get a larger percentage of people continuing to use public transport. 

The primary disadvantage is likely to be a cost conversation. I would argue that:

1. The overhead of running a bus is pretty static. If the bus is running a route, it doesn't cost a whole lot more to have it full instead of empty.

2. I would expect that even running more buses and trains is less expensive than attempting to continually add lanes to roads and levels to car parks. 

Public transport around the world is heavily subsidised until it has gained an adequate market share. I would argue that we need to make public transport obviously cheaper than other options before we can start changing the public mindset."

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