Ridership Incentives

One of the hardest things to do in any public transit system is to make it attractive for people to use it. Oftentimes this manifests itself in station renovation, equipment facelifts, special fares, etc. (New York will most likely be air-conditioning their stations in the future). Personally, sweeping service extensions--perhaps funded by a gas tax for extra effect--would do the trick for me. Naturally, a gas tax is unrealistic at best, but eventually gas prices will be high enough to eliminate the need for taxes, and prompt would-be regular drivers to seek alternatives. By then we had better hope there are improved transit networks in place, or mobility as we know it could grind to an 18th-century-style stop for much of the country.

At any rate, the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has a pretty nifty strategy to make public transit appealing to the masses: Make it free. There's no need for a gas tax or any other restriction on automobile transit; you just can't beat a free ride, period.

An aside: In last week's post, I neglected to wish a happy 102nd birthday (10/27) to New York's Interboro Rapid Transit subway, still going strong with two eyes on the future.