Billions of dollars go to subsidize fossil fuels

The IMF estimates that eliminating fossil fuel subsidies could free up US$2.9 trillion in government revenue annually.

https://theconversation.com/amp/vast-subsidies-keeping-the-fossil-fuel-industry-afloat-should-be-put-to-better-use-119954? 

One in four say they cannot afford #publictransit fares

But some evaders simply don't have the money. According to data compiled from public defenders by the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) in 2017—a low-income advocacy group that's suing to compel the NYPD to release more robust fare evasion data—more than one in four low-income New Yorkers said they could not afford to pay for public transit. The group also described a large number of evasion arrests taking place in high-poverty neighborhoods (the lack of official data makes it tricky to paint a complete picture). "It's a crime of poverty, not a public safety problem," said Harold Stolper, senior economist at CSS, "and so the solutions should be affordability, not enforcement."

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3xbj5/the-case-for-leaving-fare-beaters-alone-and-making-public-transit-free 

City Buses: So Why Not Ride Free?

Nobody wants to hear it, but the truth is that Mike Quill, the erstwhile New York City transit union chief, was right: Public transportation should be free.
What?
Yes, free! That is, as free as anything gets. Free, in this case, means that the cost would be paid through the general fund (that's a euphemism for taxes.)
On the face of it, free transportation has a ring of absurdity. But upon reflection it makes a lot more sense.
Think of it. Free public transportation would make it possible to meet all criteria for efficiency and popularity. Funds would be available to create a complete system with adequate routes and good schedules as well as the nitty-gritty costs, such as salaries, operating expenses and capital investment.
Yes, but wouldn't all those buses run empty?
No. Creation of a good system of free public transportation would entice droves of people -- many of whom now believe that buses are only for people too poor to afford their own car -- to shun the exorbitant cost of owning an automobile in favor of a free, enjoyable socially desirable ride to work or play. Who would want to pay for a car, with all its attendant expenses, if he could ride free?

https://hubpages.com/travel/So-Why-Not-Ride-Free