Rider surveys consistently show they prefer more frequent buses to lower fares. This is the consistent finding Metro LA finds every time they poll riders.

False dichotomy. We're not getting free buses OR more frequent buses anyway. In NYC, at least, the fares go up and the service gets worse.

Why not both?

Call me after you seize control of the state in your glorious revolution. Until then, we do actually have to care about where the next $1 is best spent, here in reality.

cuz then you need to find even more money from new taxes and/or cuts to other govt services and all the political obstacles that entails... and you still have the issue that the portion of that new money going to replace fares would probably also be better spent on improving service even more.

Take it out of the police budget.

I'm gonna be honest, this feels like you stopped reading my post midway through the first sentence

I didn't. Practically anything is a better use of funds than shoveling it into the gaping maw of the police at this point.

Reliable public transit pays for itself

because there are not infinite resources and we make budget decisions, and in most urban areas, choosing to make the bus cheaper instead of making it run more places and more often is just choosing to kneecap it

Again, take it out of the police budget. They get way too much money that could be better spent on things that actually help people, like better and cheaper public transit.

we just went through a whole election cycle and it turns out that the answer to “are voters in our most progressive cities willing to even consider limiting police budgets” is “recall everyone”.

I agree that police departments are generally wasteful and money would be better spent elsewhere but unfortunately voters disagree with us!

exactly - if you're politically incapable of very explicitly packaging your plan for free transit with something that actually makes sure it doesn't starve then it's a non-starter. no way.

Yes, yes, I get it. Better things aren't possible, and I'm the bad guy for even suggesting them. Never heard that one before.

_you_ take it out of the police budget. don't hold my transit system hostage to your plan to defund the police. it has not been successful.

Then subsidize it for them. Medium and high wage earners should still pay.

Means testing is usually more expensive, and certainly more difficult, than just giving it to everyone.