First, they ignore you...

Sudir - ... a person travelling in public transport is doing public good, thus he should be given preference. He should be allowed to ride comfortably while the city pays for his ticket. So yes, I think it’s a valid reason. Public transport should be free and comfortable.
Bert – The idea may not look exciting at the start and some people may mock us for this. But I think this should be given serious thought. When we put all the facts and the environmentally good factors, all the pieces of puzzle would fit together. Remember Gandhi’s quote – “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win!!!! For now, hold your wallet and push yourself inside the train… Clean Air Initiative - Asia

Stockholm, Sweden - Fare-free movement growing

• Groups (Planka.nu, Friends of the Earth, The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) began to work against planned city highways around Stockholm
• The Swedish left party started to support the idea of free public transport
• The newly formed climate alliance Klimataktion started to support the idea of free public transport
• Free Public Transport Day was celebrated for the first time on 2008/03/01
• The climate action group Klimax arranged ‘climate crashes’
• Groups (Planka.nu, Friends of the Earth, the youth section of The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) arranged an anti-highway weekend
• Groups (Planka.nu, Klimax) organized a lot of actions against the car lobby during Almedalsveckan (an annual meetup of politicians and lobbyists)
• Planka.nu participated in the European Social Forum in Malmo and hosted a well-attended “Building a public transport network” meeting
• The concept of an international network for free public transport was conceived
• A report called “Travel doesn’t have to cost the earth” was released (5 concrete measures to make Stockholm’s transport sector climate-smart and socially just)
• Planka.nu successfully engaged in a political action to oppose proposed “stop the free-riding” barriers Read more...FMBS
  

Cars waste your money

But the bottom line is household economics. American families who are car-dependent spend 25 percent of their household income on their fleet of cars, compared with just 9 percent for transportation for those who live in walkable urban places. That potential 16 percent[age points] savings could go into improved housing (building household wealth), educating children or that most un-American of all activities, saving. NYTimes

Australia - Free public transport coming for NSW?

...The move could save hundreds of millions in staffing costs, ticket-machine operations and abolish the trouble-plagued smartcard... news.com

Bangkok Tourist Attraction - Free Buses

73 Bus Routes in Bangkok, Thailand are fare-free. Look for the red bus with the blue and white sign. For a list of other cities with free public transit: click here.

Pour le transport public gratuit

La Pointe Libertaire

Fare-free transit proposed for Australia

The Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) Chairman Scott Grenda has called for the Commonwealth to get more involved in public transport to deliver better outcomes for the Australian economy, environment and community...

...to run a trial of free public transport, effectively subsidising the current fare revenue collected by the states, through a one-off annual payment by the Federal Government... Australasian Bus and Coach

Another Antarctic ice bridge shatters

Common Dreams-British Antarctic Survey/AP

What will the electric car burn?

Here is the progress report of renewable energy sources in the U.S. The chart is derived from U.S. EIA data and shows percent of total domestic energy. Electric cars will necessarily burn mostly fossil fuels. The electric car will still continue most of the negatives of the gasoline-powered car and introduce new ones of its own.

Public transit good for the heart

"A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests taking public transit may help you keep fit. The study, published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, finds that people who take public transit are three times more likely than those who don't to meet the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's suggested daily minimum of physical activity...."Coronary Artery Rehabilitation Group Blog.

Stop the electric car

photo from culturechange.org

There are worldwide 55 million net new cars every year. What if they were all electric? Would we be better off?

We want to drop tailpipe emissions (more on this later), but the exhaust we're spewing is really only the beginning of the story. We can't see most of the ecological and social impacts of our auto-dependence in our daily lives. And those impacts are so massive that arguing about fuel efficiency standards (especially in terms of gradual increases) fails to acknowledge what we're up against with this crisis. Alex Steffen WorldChanging

BC Greens nominate public transit advocate

Stephen Rees has been involved at the community level in Greater Vancouver for five years as a member of the Livable Region Coalition, campaigning against the Gateway programme and in favour of Rail for the Valley. He was recently voted No
1 political blogger in BC (http://votermedia.org/bc/).
“The Green movement represents the world’s future, as without sustainability we have no future,” said Rees. “I know that I can be an active agent for change and am proud to represent a platform that wisely combines sustainability and environmental protection with economic reality. Integral to the comprehensive platform that I will be supporting will be much better planning of land use and transportation. If elected I will be visible, accessible and vocal on behalf of my constituents.” Stephen Rees

Investment blog sees stimulus benefit of free public transit

The plan would also have the added benefit of encouraging mass transit use (reducing traffic congestion) while lowering oil/gasoline consumption -- and the federal government would generate that increased efficiency without paying to laying one new mile of subway or light rail track and/or buying one new bus.Economic Analysis: Economist Kellner's free mass transit idea has merit on a number of counts. Especially relevant is the stimulus impact: it would be tantamount to providing additional fiscal stimulus, instantaneously, to millions of citizens, with the federal government later reimbursing the states and localities. It would also encourage more people to keep their cars off the road and use mass transit for work (and perhaps for other activities), and decrease the nation's carbon footprint. Kellner's idea is worth a review. BloggingStocks

Auto vs Streetcar - Externalities

Source: Richiardi and Quaranta, 2005. Per inquinamento atmosferico si intendono i danni alla salute umana provocati dai seguenti inquinanti: SO 2 , NO x , PM, CO, COVNM. To air pollution means the damage to human health caused by the following pollutants: SO 2, NO x, PM, CO, NMVOC.

The choices of mobility are characterized not only by the costs of the different means of transport, from large external costs, which are not the user but by society, or on a part of it. The case of the costs associated with air pollution, noise, congestion, accidents and related health care costs, and finally the release of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. From this point of view, public transport, characterized by much lower costs than other modes of mobility, starting the car, not only useful to people using it, but even those not using it. This is why we often speak of the need to increase the use of public transport. Matteo Richiardi nelmerito

Transit Ottawa - Benefits of fare-free public transit

Zero-fare public transit is a government-, taxation-, or business-sponsored transit service that doesn't require users to pay fees when boarding. The system could have a few possible benefits:

• Reduced boarding times
• Less fare-related aggression or disputes
• Increased accessibility, especially for low-income residents
• Community integration
• Increased magnitude of regular transit's benefits

read more ... Transit Ottawa