On January 24, 2020, the City of St. John’s announced a free ride period for Metrobus and GoBus following the State of Emergency. During the free ride period, which concluded on February 7, ridership for Metrobus was up 38%* over average ridership during the same period in 2019.
“We are pleased to see that individuals took advantage of the free ride period and used public transit following the State of Emergency, which we hope also reflects a reduction of vehicles and pedestrians on our roads as the clean-up continued,” explained Councillor Ian Froude, Council lead for Public Works and Chair of the St. John’s Transportation Commission.
http://stjohns.ca/media-release/metrobus-ridership-during-free-ride-period
As it stands, there are two commuting classes in Canada: drivers and everyone else. And throughout much of the country, the needs of drivers are prioritized. That not only harms our environment, but it also holds back the most marginalized citizens, who often can’t afford cars, from fully participating in our economy, politics and culture.
https://broadview.org/free-public-transit/
Urban sprawl is intensifying on the outskirts of Montreal, according to a new report that has Mayor Valérie Plante calling for a paradigm shift.
The report, released Monday by the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), found that the number of people driving into the city from outlying areas has climbed steadily over the last decade.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-urban-sprawl-1.5412255
Simpler still than buying more buses and creating more reserved lanes, abolishing fares outright would be the fastest way to get millions of Canadians to leave their cars at home. If only we could stop ourselves from thinking of transit as an investment, as something where risk was a factor, as something that could be optimized to be profitable if only free market solutions were given a chance to succeed. Public transit is not, and has never been, about profit. Profit is the problem.
https://ricochet.media/en/2858/a-real-national-public-transit-strategy-is-key-to-tackling-the-climate-crisis?
It’s hard to imagine a more straightforward way to cut emissions while improving our lives rather than making a sacrifice. As The Link noted in its coverage of the recent transit protest, around a quarter of Canada’s emissions come from the transportation sector. Taking cars off the road means making a major dent in this area.
Electric cars may be better than conventional vehicles in the long run, but they still require resources to produce and do not come with the other benefits of public transit.
Free, expanded public transportation may be bold, but it’s these kinds of solutions that offer us the chance at a cleaner, more equal society. We should not fear investing in a better world.
https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/editorial-free-public-transportation-is-an-achievable-and-worthy-investment
