The idea of universal public transportation is not new. Before cars were invented, people drove carts and coaches in cities and offered transport like taxis. Large companies grew to provide public transportation when people did not have enough money for personal carts. Because it was very expensive, ordinary people could not hire coaches and it was only used for business. However, the foundation of public transportation developed a long time before ordinary people owned personal cars. Now, most people have personal cars and do not want the inconvenience of waiting for public transportation and sitting next to strangers on buses and trains. This means people need a very good reason in order to use public transportation again. If public transportation is free, then this benefit will cause most people to want to use public transportation, even if they like personal cars better, and this is beneficial because public transportation is good for the environment.
Some people worry because they believe making public transportation free would become a financial burden. They understand that the public transportation would have to be paid for by either the government or by higher taxes. Free public transportation would not become financial burden for the government because just the place the money comes from would change, not the amount of money. There is no such thing as free transportation. If the money does not come from people buying cars and gas, then it comes from people buying tickets and bus passes. If it does not come from people buying tickets and bus passes, then the money comes from taxes. People may worry that paying for public transportation would mean paying more taxes, but they will not truly pay more because they will just pay for public transit taxes instead of personal cars. If people use free public transit instead of personal cars, then they will spend less because public transit for everyone is cheaper than personal transportation for everyone. Also, everyone will share the price by paying their expected tax amount, which is a percent of the money people earn. If free public transit is popular, then money will not be a burden. Because the place the money comes from will change, not the amount of money, people do not need to worry about the price of free public transportation.
Another concern is that public transit is inconvenient. Public transportation is slower than personal transportation in most cases. Also, people are forced to wait for the bus at certain times, and the bus is often late. Finally, people have to sit next to strangers while riding public transportation vehicles, and this can be very uncomfortable. For everyone to be convinced to use public transportation, there must be a very good reason. For instance, public transportation can be completely free. If people have to pay more than $100 every month to keep a personal car and more than $10,000 to buy a personal car, but people can use public transportation for free, then more people will choose to use public transportation. Although public transportation will always be more inconvenient than personal transportation, making it free will make people like it more than personal cars.
If public transportation is used by everyone instead of personal cars, then the change will help the environment significantly. Right now, most people use personal cars every day even when public transit is a choice. The cars that people use make carbon dioxide, which causes global warming (Transportation). Global warming causes species to die, and if it is not stopped, it may destroy all life (Transportation). A recently discovered problem is fine particles, which are made by all cars and does not leave the atmosphere (Fine). This problem causes more and more damage every day and this damage cannot be fixed (Fine). Public transportation also makes carbon dioxide as well as fine particles, but it makes significantly less. The more people use personal cars, the more carbon dioxide is made. To save the world from global warming, everyone must use public transportation.
Most people do not use public transportation because it is inconvenient. People do not like using public transportation and it takes more time than using a personal car, and that is why public transportation is not used by everyone. Because public transportation is not used often, a lot of carbon dioxide is made and global warming is happening. In order for global warming to be stopped, public transportation must be turned convenient. For public transportation to become convenient, it must be made free and paid by taxes. Maybe if public transportation is made free then most people will use public transportation and then global warming will slow down.
- Fine Particle Pollution: Its Causes and Consequences. 14 March 2014. 17 March 2014
- Olson, Dave. “Why Community and Public Transport Should be Fare-Free.” n.d. FreePublic Transit. 17 March 2014
- Transportation, U.S. Department of. Public Transportation’s Role in Responding to Climate Change . 2013. 17 March 2014
