4 ms·

Or anotherway to put it: Now everyone pays for transport through their taxes, even those who do not use it.

melling 7y ago
Well, drivers will benefit if traffic starts moving. Build more roads, make them wider roads, but traffic is still horrible. What to do? It’s funny how bad things need to get before some people will fund mass transit.
toomuchtodo 7y ago
Public transportation is a public good you receive benefits from even if you don't directly use it; cleaner air, less congestion reducing transit times, and a happier populace.
- masonic 7y ago
  cleaner air Only if it displaces more pollution than it contributes itself. Running mostly empty trains and buses worsens both congestion and pollution.
pcurve 7y ago
The current ticket sale only covers 8% of total cost. "Luxembourg's public transport system covers the whole country and costs $562 million (€508 million) per year to run. Each year, it generates around $46 million in ticket sales, according to the ministry." $46 mil is still a lot given the gov't tax revenue is only $25 billion / year, but I'm sure they also calculated plenty of upsides when they made the decision.
esotericn 7y ago
Let's be realistic, everyone uses transport. In Europe, you might use a car if you're out in the country, but you still use transport. Historically car transport was subsidised anyway - because it makes sense to do so. The number of people who walk everywhere is minuscule (and even then you're using maintained footpaths).
Benmcdonald__ 7y ago
Or anotherway to put it: now public transport receive the same subsidies as private cars. With cars hogging free public roads, polluting the air with their inefficiency, and filling cities with subsidies parking
lm28469 7y ago
Just like for schools, healthcare, roadwork and every other _public_ systems/infrastructures in most European countries. Everyone is better off that way, I pay for roads and public transport I very seldom use, but other people paid for my education and my medications. At least I won't die because I can't afford insulin or go bankrupt if I have any semi serious disease/accident. At the end of the day that's exactly how any insurance work, everyone give in all the time and a very small portion of the population gain from it at any point in time.
masonic 7y ago
Most transit systems are taxpayer subsidized as it is. SV's VTA has never gotten more than 15% of operating costs from fares, with zero going to fixed cost or interest.

Well, drivers will benefit if traffic starts moving. Build more roads, make them wider roads, but traffic is still horrible. What to do? It’s funny how bad things need to get before some people will fund mass transit.

toomuchtodo 7y ago

Public transportation is a public good you receive benefits from even if you don't directly use it; cleaner air, less congestion reducing transit times, and a happier populace.

masonic 7y ago
cleaner air Only if it displaces more pollution than it contributes itself. Running mostly empty trains and buses worsens both congestion and pollution.

pcurve 7y ago

The current ticket sale only covers 8% of total cost. "Luxembourg's public transport system covers the whole country and costs $562 million (€508 million) per year to run. Each year, it generates around $46 million in ticket sales, according to the ministry." $46 mil is still a lot given the gov't tax revenue is only $25 billion / year, but I'm sure they also calculated plenty of upsides when they made the decision.

esotericn 7y ago

Let's be realistic, everyone uses transport. In Europe, you might use a car if you're out in the country, but you still use transport. Historically car transport was subsidised anyway - because it makes sense to do so. The number of people who walk everywhere is minuscule (and even then you're using maintained footpaths).

Benmcdonald__ 7y ago

Or anotherway to put it: now public transport receive the same subsidies as private cars. With cars hogging free public roads, polluting the air with their inefficiency, and filling cities with subsidies parking

lm28469 7y ago

Just like for schools, healthcare, roadwork and every other _public_ systems/infrastructures in most European countries. Everyone is better off that way, I pay for roads and public transport I very seldom use, but other people paid for my education and my medications. At least I won't die because I can't afford insulin or go bankrupt if I have any semi serious disease/accident. At the end of the day that's exactly how any insurance work, everyone give in all the time and a very small portion of the population gain from it at any point in time.

masonic 7y ago

Most transit systems are taxpayer subsidized as it is. SV's VTA has never gotten more than 15% of operating costs from fares, with zero going to fixed cost or interest.