• Aatube
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    1411 days ago

    What do we feel about eliminating bus fares? It’ll definitely improve quality of life for drivers, riders, and new riders, but how they’re going to pay for that feels like a giant missed opportunity in improving rail and the subway.

    • Nomecks
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      1511 days ago

      It gets paid for by savings in road network maintenance. More people on transit = less cars destroying everything.

      • Aatube
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        611 days ago

        I don’t think that’s gonna cover much of the $600 million after eliminating fare enforcement costs.

        • @[email protected]
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          110 days ago

          Enforcement costs includes pay systems, enfircer paychecks, gear, blood, and lawsuits for the victims

          • Aatube
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            110 days ago

            Yeah that’s already factored in as savings and thus deducted from the costs:

            The cost of eliminating fares from all city buses would likely be north of $700 million – an MTA analysis from 2022 put the cost for fiscal year 2026 at $778 million, Mamdani’s campaign said. A separate analysis on free local bus service from the city Independent Budget Office incorporated savings that fare-free bus rides would produce, including on fare enforcement and collection costs, totaling $33 million per year. They found the total cost would be $652 million.

            I already deducted an extra $52 million for a good-looking number. Whatever the independent analysis didn’t think of is not likely to go beyond this $52 million.

            • @[email protected]
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              10 days ago

              I dont think its polite to include the settlements of cases of police abuse. Or monetizing the dead.

              • Aatube
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                210 days ago

                If you don’t include them then the cost is gonna be higher than $600 million. My point that it won’t pay for itself and has to suck up funds that could’ve been used for infrastructure remains.

    • @[email protected]
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      3111 days ago

      Improving the subway underneath all those buildings is a multi decade adventure.

      Free busses is tomorrow.

      It can be both.

    • @[email protected]
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      311 days ago

      It’s not my favourite intervention to improve transit, but it does have some benefits, like reduced dwell times from faster boarding on buses.

      The important thing is that it might get a candidate elected who can perform long-term improvements.