There are also no unsubsidized fire departments, police departments, public schools, public parks, etc. Analyzing only the first order costs/benefits is really not a good way of analyzing any infrastructure project.
Dictionary definition: "a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive."
What I have is NOT a subsidy. I use the resources, and I pay for them.
I don't have people from New York paying for my fire department in Seattle.
> Are you saying that if taxes pay for transit then transit isn’t subsidized?
I use fire protection, and I pay for it. My neighbors receive equal fire protection. There are no subsidies, we all pay our equal share (based on the house value).
However, I won't benefit from transit that is being built (heck, it will make my life WORSE). Yet I have to pay for it, thus I subsidize it.
> Do your taxes go towards the fire department even if you never have a fire?
Fire departments provide protection from fire. I absolutely do use and depend on it.
> Do your taxes go towards the public parks even if you don’t use them?
This is indeed a subsidy. A pay-per-use system would allow to remove the subsidy. However, it's so small around here that it's inconsequential in the face of massive transit subsidies.
> Do your taxes go towards public schools even if you don’t have kids?
Nope. I will eventually have kids who will need schools. So not a subsidy.
Also, if your public schools receive funding from people who do not currently have kids in school (no kids, kids already graduated, kids in private school, etc.) it’s subsidized. To claim otherwise is to redefine words.
Sure, to be more specific - tax revenue can be used to subsidize services.
In the context of transit, people talk about transit not being able to “pay for itself” and needing subsidies. That money comes from taxes… so people who don’t ride transit end up subsidizing people who do (via taxes) in the same way people who don’t go to parks subsidize people who do (via taxes) and people without kids subsidize public school education of those who do (via taxes).
My fire department, police, and parks are certainly not subsidized. I pay for them from my taxes.