Will The Bay Area Make Public Transit Free?

"...some Bay Area officials want to use the popularity of the Spare the Air no-fare days to push for making free passage the norm.

Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty is one of the most vocal proponents.

"We're not going to be able to pave our way out of the congestion we have today," said Haggerty, who also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional transportation planning agency. "We have to look at expanding ridership on public transit."

Offering free rides is one way to do that, he said.

"Public transit agencies in the nine Bay Area counties collect nearly $517 million a year at the fare box to help fund operations, many of which are subsidized by grants, taxes and tolls. Revenue to replace fares would have to be found elsewhere.

There are costs associated with collecting fares, but they are nowhere near the half-billion dollar mark, said Randy Rentschler, legislative and public affairs director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission."

"Haggerty says the federal government should assist in setting up a 1-year pilot project to provide free transit with the goal of reducing air pollution. The government can withhold federal transportation funds when regions exceed federal air pollution standards.

The Bay Area already has blown through this year's budget for free-transit on Spare the Air days, spending nearly $14 million in subsidies to transit agencies that lost fare revenue."

Thanks to MTC-ABAG Library