Missoula buses will be 'zero fare' for three years

[Newsjock]

Source: Missoulian

The day of the free bus ride in Missoula is upon us – or will be in a few months.

The Missoula Urban Transportation District on Tuesday unveiled plans to operate the Mountain Line bus system “zero fare” starting Jan. 5.

The announcement, which has been in the works for months, came at a crowded noon news conference at the downtown bus transfer station. Thirteen public and private partners led by the University of Montana and the city of Missoula have signed on to fund a three-year demonstration project to see if it’ll fly.

... Missoula becomes one of only about 40 cities and metropolitan areas to offer free public transportation.

Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-buses-will-be-zero-fare-beginning-jan/article_3e36f75c-2257-11e4-82ce-0019bb2963f4.html

[Blue_Adept]

1. A good thing

If the costs are covered elsewhere, it shouldn't be run for profit. If it can get more people to use it and to get away from using their own cars, it'll help overall. A positive step.

[brooklynite]

2. Public bus systems are never run for profit...

It's a matter of how much of the cost gets covered by fares, and how much through a government subsidy.

As a Transportation Planner, let me point out that there is the notion of a "friction charge", a marginal cost to the user to ensure that the commodity or service is really needed (e.g. Discouraging you from riding one block simply because there's a bus available. Having no fare makes inefficient use of what is a finite product (there are not an infinite number of buses and drivers) and eliminates the ability to keep off people using the bus for purposes other than transportation (e.g. Kids hanging out after school).

[niyad]

3. and the community where I live hates public transit, would NEVER do anything this intelligent.