Everywhere in the world where transit is a legit alternative to driving. That’s just the math of transit, and math doesn’t go away because people willfully ignore it. Nor do transit employees work for free. Nor is the tooth fairy going to find transit for everyone.
We cannot design transit policy as if nobody can afford the fare. Nowhere in the world does this. Having to pay a fare for the labor of transit workers, the cost of the vehicles, etc. the same way the rest of the world does is just a mathematical reality folks are going to have to deal.