alt Hacker NewsThat's an interesting point and I agree it makes some kind of sense, but is there a source for it?
I live in Montpellier France and all transit has become free 2 years ago. I didn't notice any change in people's behavior at all. Transit is also free in Talinn IIRC and I wonder if they saw something there?
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pclowes • yesterday at 3:37 PM
https://growsf.org/news/2026-02-12-bart-fare-gates-10-millio...
The maintenance cost graph is very eye-opening.
Then they'll shift the goalpost: it's not free, someone is paying for it, which is every taxpayer.
Then you'll ask for receipts of what they pay to use the roads and they'll be out.
Regarding free transit, I think part of the reason it can fail is the socioeconomic situation. In places that rewards the rich and abandon the less fortunate, it's deemed to fail.
But also, I think that when people have to pay to use transit, they'll be less willing to act as a warden, so if they see someone doing something negative, they'll keep out, thinking that it's the responsibility of whoever is taking their money. Meanwhile, when we see public transit as a common good, we are more willing to act to keep it great.