Free Public Transport Anyone?

[Cuddles]

....
The size comparisons are mostly pointless as you could pick an US city for comparison. Luxembourg is about the size of Detroit city proper area or Little Rock, AR metro area.

Sure, but the "whole nation of Louxembourg just made transportation free" notion loses its shine when you realize it's equivalent to saying "mid size city US just made public transportation free".

European cities with free transportation still have ridesharing, taxis, airlines etc. I used both services, taxis/rideshare is for travel to airport or at night when the pub. transport is offline.
Also, how in your brain do buses compete with airlines?

cool, i'm not advocating to get rid of private transportation.

Are you asking how greyhound currently competes w/airlines? Or how lobbyists would throw a fit over a nationalized high speed rail system competing w/airlines?

 

[VicBee]

Sure, but the "whole nation of Louxembourg just made transportation free" notion loses its shine when you realize it's equivalent to saying "mid size city US just made public transportation free".
cool, i'm not advocating to get rid of private transportation.

Are you asking how greyhound currently competes w/airlines? Or how lobbyists would throw a fit over a nationalized high speed rail system competing w/airlines?

Yes, we know that in America corporate lobbies have more say than the American electorate.

 

[Cuddles]

Yes, we know that in America corporate lobbies have more say than the American electorate.

well, it looks like d08 doesn't since he's asking how public infra competes w/airlines (or at least that was my argument, not sure why he focused on buses). Heck, weren't you trying to make the case that unions have sway in public transportation policy?

 

[WWarrior]

Sadly, public transport in America is heavily politicized, with on one side Republicans against any form of it unless it's entirely private and, on the other side, Democrats looking to increase Dems voting union labor. Why is this not a political issue in Europe? Because they have a diversity of political parties and corresponding labor unions which often disagree with each other. Everyone agrees that more public transport is better, then go on negotiating who gets to run what part of it and how.
It's not unusual in the US for communities to reject public transport on the grounds that it "would bring poor people in to commit crimes". It's the logic of wealthy people wanting to live in a hard to access isolated properties: if you can't reach me, you can't harm me. America is a paranoid nation by design.

I think it's inevitable that population increases and climate concerns will probably lead to increased public transport or subsidized transport networks .
Resistance also comes from the lack of public trust and the danger of a network being privatized further down the line.

 

[VicBee]

well, it looks like d08 doesn't since he's asking how public infra competes w/airlines (or at least that was my argument, not sure why he focused on buses). Heck, weren't you trying to make the case that unions have sway in public transportation policy?

Unions are a lobby.

 

[Cuddles]

Unions are a lobby.

so is the voting public. Doesn't mean legislators are going to listen to them w/o wads of cash.

 

[VicBee]

I think it's inevitable that population increases and climate concerns will probably lead to increased public transport or subsidized transport networks .
Resistance also comes from the lack of public trust and the danger of a network being privatized further down the line.

Yes, this should be the case in Europe. In the US it would be more complicated, more like a patchwork of state policies, from the never in my state to this is a great idea state.

 

[VicBee]

so is the voting public. Doesn't mean legislators are going to listen to them w/o wads of cash.

It speaks of the disfunction of the US election system. At least politicians are still elected but the electors are uneducated.