Twin Cities Transit Riders call for fare-free #publictransit

@TCTRU

Kansas City considering fare-free #publictransit

..., Kansas City Area Transportation Authority buses are seldom packed. Even at rush hour, many are less than full, and some buses run almost completely empty in the middle of the day. But in downtown, thousands of residents and visitors each month gladly hop on and off the Kansas City Streetcar Authority’s Main Street streetcar line. Cost to ride the streetcar: zero. 

Put these facts together and it seems like it might be a good idea if public transit everywhere in Kansas City became free to use.

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/kansas-city-considers-doing-away-with-transit-fares-citywide 

Kansas City, MO, transit agency wants to end fares

Free public transportation is a bold initiative, and the head of Kansas City's regional transit agency thinks it's viable for Kansas City.

https://www.kcur.org/post/head-kansas-city-s-bus-system-says-public-transportation-should-be-free#stream/0 

Polls consistently show that Americans want more #publictransit and are willing to pay taxes to get it

Almost six in 10 Minnesota voters are willing to pay higher taxes or user fees to support more spending on transit

https://finance-commerce.com/2018/10/minneapolis-chamber-poll-finds-support-for-transit-investment/ 

Indianapolis, better service means more riders

The city of Indianapolis is learning that beefed-up transit service quickly translates to more riders — with local transit agency IndyGo reporting this week that ridership was up 3.4 percent this August compared to the previous year.

streetsblog

Chicago students should have #freetransit

chicagotribune On Sept. 4, about 370,000 Chicago Public Schools students will navigate our city streets, many using public transportation, to the first day of school. For these students, this is the only day of the year that their transportation fees will be free — unlike many students in other schools across the state whose transportation is provided for the entire school year.

Pro-growth argument for more #publictransit

chicagotribune Sadly, Illinois state government has — unlike other states like Indiana or Texas that are investing more — cut mass transit funding by hundreds of millions. Mass transit grows the private-sector economy in studies showing $4 in returns for each public $1 invested. Every workday, one-sixth of Illinois’ population, over 2 million riders, take mass transit to work, school, doctor visits or for leisure.
Nationally in the past two election cycles, nearly 70 percent of all mass transit referendums to expand or improve service passed. Where transit goes, the economy grows.

My BLOCK MY HOOD MY CITY

My BLOCK MY HOOD MY CITY: "MBMHMC provides youth with new experiences, exposing them to possibilities beyond their own communities. Our mission is to help teenagers overcome the poverty and isolation they face, boosting educational attainment and opening them to opportunities that make a difference in their lives.
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Fare-free CTA would save Chicago $$$billions

Should the CTA be free? Why not? | Transportation | Chicago Reader: "But is it really such a crazy idea from an economic point of view? Transit helps people get to schools, jobs, and preventative health care, and if a higher percentage of current Chicago residents were well educated, employed, and healthy, that could save a lot of money for society. And coaxing more people out of cars and onto buses and el trains would mean less congestion, pollution, and crashes, which would lead to less lost productivity and property damage, lower bills for public health and first responder services, and less wear and tear on roads.

For example, a 2014 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that U.S. traffic crashes cost $871 billion a year in economic and societal costs. Since the city of Chicago represents about 1/120th of the nation’s population, our share of that loss could be roughly $7.3 billion."

Go to jail for bus fare?

How many arrests for jumping turnstiles would the police be able to make if public transportation was free? Seems like an easy way to save the environment and provide a solution to cities like New York and their #NYPD who might still be unsure what to do. https://t.co/C68YQov84U

— CNP Evanston (@CnpProtect318) February 20, 2018