Much has been written about free bus fares in Tucson. I have spent some time in Italy and this is what I have found. It is free for me to ride a bus. Bus drivers like this because they don't have to spend time giving out change or trying to communicate with disgruntled passengers. When I tried to pay, I was waved onto the bus because I was holding up its progress.
Passengers like this because they don't have to worry about taking the bus when they don't have the proper change. Charging a fare results in lower ridership when we should be encouraging it, for the sake of our roads and the environment.
Additionally, there are enough buses that students take the bus instead of relying on schools to provide transportation. The result is that buses are full of students. A win-win for the taxpayer.
Howard Strause
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Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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