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by jeromegv
1074 days ago
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> its easy to have discount programs for those that need it. Actually its not that easy. You need someone to check income threshold (how?), have a separate program to distribute that special fare, monitor for fraud, special fare system, etc. Tons of people that would benefit from cheaper fare end up not having access to it if the way to get that discount ends up being complicated (as many social programs are). I agree transit should be cheaper, not free, but often cheaper helps everyone and encourage habits to change, even among the middle class. |
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Cast a wide net, 50% discount for students, municipalities can hook people up with free or discounted passes depending on their municipal tax returns, it can all be automated even.
Some who don’t need discounts will get them and some who need them won’t but they will get better quality of service however. And if they don’t manage to get themselves a discount by any means, if the alternative is buying a car they’re saving anyway.
The absolute amount of money collected isn’t really the point, just that there is some of it and it is a non-negligible portion of the total.