The only argument against fare free transit that I consider valid is that some people are discouraged from using transit when a large percentage of riders are unhoused (or visibly distressed) This is a bigger problem in cities with low existing ridership (like Nashville)

I’ve not heard of massive numbers of people steering clear of the downtown library, despite the fact that people experiencing homelessness use it a lot. Also, that’s a societal problem, not a bus problem.

The challenge is that people make decisions based on vibes, and we all know how powerful scare mongering is Fundamentally, whether people will use the service also depends on how comfortable they feel (None of this persuades me that it's not worth doing, just that I'm sympathetic to the argument)

(it should also go without saying that we should give people places to exist that have climate control so this isn't even an issue, but that's not happening any time soon)

And I don’t think we should accept that! (I know you don’t either, just felt compelled to say it.)

Yeah I have a hard time believing that people who already ride the bus would suddenly stop riding in significant numbers if we made it fare-free. We can’t do anything about fear mongering, but we don’t have to legitimize concerns that stem from fear mongering.

While the book has issues, I am once again posting this 2023 Freakonomics episode covering fare-free bussing that 1) illustrates ridership increases across the board and 2) presents and opportunity for coordinated services for our houseless neighbors. freakonomics.com/podcast/shou...

@yonahfreemark.com had a great conversation with @thewaroncars.bsky.social about free transit, it's Patreon-exclusive for now but I hope they open it up. TL;dr, making transit free has mixed results. I'm still on the fence about it. www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

On the fence? Try a pilot program! Six months! Let’s see how it goes!

You should be able to listen to it free here thewaroncars.org/2025/08/12/e... And thanks for listening!

Yeah, opponents will say it actually makes the people who already ride the bus ride it more, which too them is a bad thing.

What we CAN do is just try it out and see what happens. Do a 6-month fare-free pilot. Does the world end? Do people run away from the bus? Do the buses become mobile emergency shelters? Then let’s address the root causes of the problem instead of slapping on a fare to create a barrier to access

Like, I simply do not understand why we cannot just TRY IT.

Other places have and continue to do it so it's not some radical experiment (Durham NC went fare free during the pandemic and remains so to this day)

Also also, we already have programs that provide a significant number of free bus passes to people experiencing homelessness, so…