Ever since living in Japan and experiencing transit there, it's hard to argue transit should be free. Because look what happens when it is rich: it goes everywhere in high frequency, highly redundant networks, and people experience FREEDOM - freedom of movement in public space. It blew my mind because it was just the bus, and it was more expensive than the bus back home, and none of that bothered me at all.
I would be really interested in learning more about why US transit agencies aren't more proactive in managing their land assets and making money in order to add services and be competitive. Can they get creative? Why aren't agencies like MBTA working with RTAs throughout their state on connecting up, how come they aren't developing mixed use retail on all their grounds, why don't they try harder to make a friendly, consistent experience, and put some honor on the transit workers, too? The op funding is a big problem, wouldn't real estate development be a way to turn some of that back around into operational revenues?
Ever since living in Japan and experiencing transit there, it's hard to argue transit should be free. Because look what happens when it is rich: it goes everywhere in high frequency, highly redundant networks, and people experience FREEDOM - freedom of movement in public space. It blew my mind because it was just the bus, and it was more expensive than the bus back home, and none of that bothered me at all.
I would be really interested in learning more about why US transit agencies aren't more proactive in managing their land assets and making money in order to add services and be competitive. Can they get creative? Why aren't agencies like MBTA working with RTAs throughout their state on connecting up, how come they aren't developing mixed use retail on all their grounds, why don't they try harder to make a friendly, consistent experience, and put some honor on the transit workers, too? The op funding is a big problem, wouldn't real estate development be a way to turn some of that back around into operational revenues?