Ask Slashdot: If Public Transport Was Free, Would You Leave Your Car At Home?

dkatana writes: The Estonian capital launched a program of free public transport to encourage people to leave their cars at home. But they never did. When Tallinn launched the program ridership numbers did increase, but not by the 20% the city had projected. Instead, they grew by a modest 3%, and by people already using public transport. What happened is that more pedestrians and bike users started to use public transit instead of walking and cycling. But car users continue to drive to work. Do you think the same would hold true in the U.S. if a similar program was started?

Comments

Re:Chapel Hill/ Carrboro North Carolina

[Anonymous Coward]

Having to wait on their schedule, and not being able to come and go on my time table is a deal killer.

There comes a point where the 5-10 minutes you'd wait to be "on their schedule" is more convenient than the 5-10 minutes you'd waste walking to your parking space, fueling up your car, etc.

I usually look at the weekly sales and go hit 3+ grocery stores to get the best sale items.

This seems like a false economy - how much time and fuel do you waste saving 30 cents a pound on chuck roast?

And I buy at once for a whole week, or even to put large things of meat in the deep freezer in case of a sale.

If you really buy enough food at once that it's inconvenient to carry on public transit, then taxis and services like zipcar also exist. The option is not a binary "always drive my own car or always take public transit."

No routes are straight to my places I've worked at.

The only way you're able to take a "route straight to the office" is if you work in the 'burbs. For those of us who live in an actual city, whether you're parking or taking public transit, you're not taking a "straight to the office" route. Of course, if you take public transit, you can take the *same* route day in and day out. If you want to drive, you have to roam around the city for 5-30 minutes looking for a garage or lot, pay the attendant, walk to your office, etc.

not the best thing in the world picking up a date via the bus, you not only look cheap, but she's not gonna real be thrilled sitting next to a smelly bum.

So you should take a shower before you get on the bus. *rimshot* If the women you're dating are vapid and superficial enough to really give a shit about the mode of transportation (unless you're taking her by subway through your local combat zone), then perhaps you should work on meeting a better class of woman instead of feeling pressured into buying material objects to impress your way into somebody's pants.

I like to buy FUN cars

So "sitting in traffic for hours, then worrying about damage, break-ins, and theft to my vehicle" is part of the fun of owning these fun cars? Most people enjoy, you know, driving them.