Disadvantages of Public Transportation

Public Transportation Free public transportation would be a useless drain on the American economy. Firstly, a system of transportation with no regulated price would lack stability. Funding for public transportation would have to come from different areas and aspects of society which might severely upset many citizens. Criminals and drug dealers would see the new and free transportation system as a major benefit to their business. These individuals would deter current users from continued use of the public transportation system. Supporters of free transportation see an ideal situation but do not take into consideration many of the factors that would come along with free transportation. In James Shaffer’s opinion on transportation policy, “The concept of unregulated market is a meaningless construct”(1). Price is a regulatory device in any type of market. Because we are accustomed to our current systems of public transportation, it is hard to imagine a system that does not involve the use of fares and standard rate practices. We step on the bus, we pay our fare or swipe our card, take our seat, then arrive at our destination. Without the immediate pay and receive factor, the user might feel uninvolved or detached from something they were once so involved in. Public transportation within cities is funded in part by both regulated fares, and taxpayer’s dollars. If legislation was to rule in favor of free public transportation for all citizens, where would the money come from? The most obvious solution to this problem would be to raise taxes. This would stir up major complications within cities. The users of public transportation services would be paying more in tax rates than they would for the original fares. Also, negative tension would arise among those that do not use the public transportation systems because they would be paying for a commodity that they do not use. If public transportation was