And they said there were "no free rides."
Feargus O'Sullivan surveys the world for weird transit deals and finds more than enough examples to fill a CityLab post.
So, for instance, there's the time that transit users in the Netherlands with a copy of Jas van Velofte (“Jacket of Promise”) by author Jan Siebelink accessed any train in the country for free. For another example in Indonesia’s second city, Surabaya, passengers were encouraged to trade in trash for train tickets in an effort to clean the city's streets.
Read the full story: When Weird Things Get You a Free Ride
Free Transit Under Consideration in Kansas City
The idea of free transit is sold as a benefit to the environment and the city's most vulnerable residents in this editorial by the Kansas City Star.
OKC streetcar will stay fare-free after ridership shot up 74%
The downtown streetcar saw a surge in ridership after it eliminated fares in January.
750 Pittsburgh city workers to get free transit passes
City employees working downtown will have access to free transit from Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority