Two of the biggest complaints about public transportation is that it costs too much money, and it isn’t efficient enough. Some people argue that public transportation should be free, it is public after all, and a public library is free, but the fact of the matter is that public transportation cannot afford to be free, the efficiency of the system is bad enough as it is.
Nothing in life is free. Public transportation requires, equipment, power, and people, all of which cost money. If the people riding the public transportation systems do not put in money for their share of the fuel and manpower then the money to run the public system would come from governments. And we all know that government money means everyone’s money; hello tax increase!
Since most people in society live on a tight budget as it is, and a lot of people do not use public transportation, it isn’t fair for everyone to pay for it, even if it is more environmentally conserving. The fact of the matter is that public transportation does not serve every house, every area, and every business in metropolitan areas, it doesn’t even come close. Public transportation is often crowded, dirty and uncomfortable, unless you are one of the lucky riders that gets on first thing in the morning after the cleaners have been through.
And of course there is always the fact that just because it is free, does not mean that it is going to used. having a steady income of free budgeted money could cause public transportation systems to either not be run enough because they do not get a large enough budget or to be overrun because there is an excess of money put into the pool. Either way, charging people a minimal fee for riding a public system is a good way to keep running the public transportation systems at the required level.
Private vehicles are the most popular form of transportation for two reasons, freedom and efficiency. A private vehicle can go wherever you want, whenever you want, and public transportation does not. Until public transportation is able to carry heavy loads of grocery’s right to the door, drop children off right at the soccer field for practice, or partiers home at three in the morning, the public will not support paying and increase in taxes to support and inefficient public transportation system. Not when there are still better options out there that is.