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If you think public transportation should be free, I have one question to ask: Who would pay for it? Definitely you, the reader and every tax payer. Would that still be considered free? I believe not. In fact, it would have an unwelcome idea to those people who don't use public transport, for various reasons; may be they don't live and/or work close to public transport means, or because they don't like the discomfort of public transportation.

With governments already struggling with managing their budgets, this would be another burden to the tax payer. Some transit systems would collapse if it was free because most likely some of the money meant for this would end up being allocated to other sectors. The end result here is ineffiency because of underfunding. We would start seeing fewer trains and buses, dirtier stops, disgruntled operators, reduction on security because of budget cuts, etc. But with a substantial fee being charged for the service, we wouldnt have that problem.

I used to support the idea of making public transportation free, until the day our transit system celebrated its ten year anniversary. All buses and trains under the transit authority offered free rides for the day. But it wasn't a pleasant experience. The trains and buses were so packed, you would not find space to hold on to if you were standing. The heat was so excessive and then the smell was very disgusting. I wished I had driven my car that day, but it was too late. And most of the people were heard saying they would do this everyday if it was free. I would definitely stop using public transportation if this was an ongoing process.

So, if public transportation is provided for free, it is going to have more disastrous effects than we can imagine. We are going to see alot of bad elements on our trains and buses. Most of the idle urban dwellers are going to spend their time in trains and buses because they are not paying for anything. Some people will just sleep there all day. We are therefore bound to see a lot of congestion, odors, noise, and all that stuff. The comfort and security of public transportation will be compromised. And this will make most people resort to private means again, hence losing the whole meaning and purpose of free public transport.

Public tranportation should not be free, but at least should be made more affordable to the public. A substantial fee should still be charged, so there can be enough to maintain some effiency and comfort that we deserve when we ride those trains or buses.

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