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Why does one preclude the other? "Free public transport" and "give poor people money" can both be excellent policies, there's no reason one should only pick one
by OskarS 7y ago
Why does one preclude the other? "Free public transport" and "give poor people money" can both be excellent policies, there's no reason one should only pick one.
The point with specifically making public transport free is because using public transport instead of using cars is A Good Thing. It's like a reverse pigouvian tax: we want to encourage people using public transport, so lets make it free. Instead of charging for it, tax something we don't like (i.e. cars) and pay for it that way.
- luckylion 7y agoWe're not just making cars relatively worse, but also walking and cycling, and we're encouraging (medium distance) travel in general. I don't know that this is a good idea, though I do agree that if you want to encourage travelling, it's fair to not only make it available to the rich. I'd much prefer people to use any form of transportation when required and not spend their leisure time by descending upon the inner city, but that's a personal preference.