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 

Bill would provide #freetransit to all students in state of New York

All students in New York state would get a free round-trip ride to and from school, under a bill introduced Friday.

Co-sponsored by Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) and Sen. James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley), the bill could save parents thousands of dollars a year in Metro-North train tickets and MTA subway fares.

https://nypost.com/2019/02/02/new-bill-would-give-free-public-transit-ride-to-all-new-york-students/

Transportation is a public service, no need for user fees [fares]

What if instead of Fair Fares for some, we made public transportation free of fares for residents? We provide public services — garbage collection, firefighters, etc. — through taxpayer funds because they’re necessities. Transportation is integral to city living and should be thought of as a necessity.

https://www.amny.com/opinion/the-real-goal-should-be-fare-free-mass-transit-1.26350631

#swipeitforward

Awwww, yeah, make it funky now!!! Can y'all get us to our Tier II goal 💕
$1500 swipes about 550 Black and Brown youth that didn't get their MetroCard the first week of school. #SwipeItForward #SIFBack2Schoolhttps://t.co/O1Ki51JJjK

— Swipe It Forward (@swipeitforward) September 10, 2018

NY commuter gives his assessment of the state of #publictransit

timesledger.com I could not agree less with Larry Penner's assessment of local mass transit.

The cost per passenger mile of mass transit is way out of line. Mass transit is a disgrace. Have you ever noticed how almost every how every mass transit construction program goes ENORMOUSLY over budget and takes eons longer than originally planned & promised?

As particular examples, please consider the 2nd Ave subway in Manhattan and the Eastside connection of the LIRR. After spending not a fortune, but several fortunes, and close to half a century, on the 2nd Ave subway they hooked up a few stations, & seem to have forgotten about the rest of the line.

The slowwwwww progress & excessive cost, of the Eastside connection, would be comical if it wasn't so painful.

While it sounds good on paper, Mass Transit in NYC has been an expensive boondoggle.

Yes, it is used by tons & tons of people all of the time, but they don't have a choice.

Please find a copy of an old LIRR timetable from the 1930's or 1940's. You may be surprised to see that despite all types of improvements & new trains, travel times to Penn Station in Manhattan are about the same now as they were then. (At least for the Port Washington Branch, the one I use.)

If you take the Eastbound LIRR during evening rush hour, I'm sure you are familiar with the notably disgusting delays there have been during the past year or two. The LIRR blames it on AmTrak, but either way, it's mass transit.

AmTrak has a notably BAD record for not meeting the deadline for the installation of mandated safety devices.

The train tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting NYC with NJ, is VERY old & in SERIOUS disrepair. Additionally it is inadequate for the present traffic & certainly inadequate for any additional traffic; however, NJ has turned a blind eye to the problem & refuses to do anything about it.

And, while I'm on the subject, let me remind everyone that the MTA & LIRR are unable to support rail service from the fair box & demand contributions from other aspects of life (like mortgages payments, & bridge tolls, inter alia).

Investment in public transportation has funded notably expensive public works projects which have yielded only a pittance of an improvement to the transit situation. This is not unlike what the robber barons & exploiters of the RR industry did during the final quarter of the 19th century.

Please tell us, Larry, how much per linear foot have we paid so far for the 1.7 miles of the 2nd Ave. subway currently in service?

The Venerable Stan from Flushing

Op-ed: Public transit is key to tackling global warming

Crain's New York Business : "New York has a major opportunity to lead the nation in reducing emissions and to strike a blow against inequality by making significant and bold investments in public transit across the state. These could give most residents access to efficient, reliable and extensive public transit networks, and provide transit-dependent communities access to opportunities that are not readily available."

Free public transit important part of college success plan

#Autosprawl meltdown continues. US chose cars overs buses. Now, can't afford either.

Times Union : "AMSTERDAM – In a move that some say will hurt the chances of young people to get afterschool jobs, the city's transportation department is being dissolved because financial woes."

RVT Begins Clinton County Public Transportation; Free Through March 10

The Record Online : "LOCK HAVEN – Two years in the making, Clinton County’s first public transportation in a generation is now up and running. Today was the first day of service for Williamsport-based River Valley Transit, the agency charged with implementing the new bus routes. The blue, grey and red natural gas-powered RVT buses are serving the Lock Haven area from the Clinton/Lycoming County line to the WalMart off Hogan Boulevard in Bald Eagle Township."