Iowa City made its buses free. traffic cleared, and so did the air

Re:Iowa City made its buses free. traffic cleared, and so di... by ehnto on Monday November 24, 2025 @08:43AM (#46034012)

That is only true if public transport is supposed to participate in the free market economy, which it doesn't have to.

If it is decided by a city government that we want public transport as a public service, paid for by taxes and other means then removing prices is an option that could make sense in the right situations.

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Re:Iowa City made its buses free. traffic cleared, and so di... by bko on Monday November 24, 2025 @12:23PM (#46036512)

Then it's covered by the government and cost is more or less ignored. It still costs something but now there is no or little visibility as to how much it costs which is obviously bad for incentives and general governance

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Re:Iowa City made its buses free. traffic cleared, and so di... by ehnto on Monday November 24, 2025 @08:33PM (#46041407)

Bad for who? The incentive is for more people to use the system, since we are aiming for a Greater Good kind of outcome. Cost and efficiency becomes a government problem, which we manage through policy and voting.

The road system doesn't have a price tag per trip, yet it's costs are managed through policy and governance. No difference here in my opinion.

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