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Pellerin: Public transit is a public service. Treat it that way
(ottawacitizen.com)
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this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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That's why it's bad policy to think about transit in terms of making a profit. It's a public service, that's the profit, and we all get it.
Isn't it weird that public transit 'needs to be profitable', but roads and the infrastructure it drive on doesn't?
It is profitable. To car manufacturers. Without upgrades to infrastructure like roads and parking structures, congestion would eventually get so bad people would be more likely to stop buying cars and move to alternate transportation options.
Those other options actually have to exist for the shift to happen, otherwise other significant hurdles exist like having to move closer to work or change jobs to accommodate ditching car dependancy.
I charge a significant tax for in-office work located more than 10min from a train -- and it's less like the 3% 'dumb comms stack' tax I charge for having to use Teams and more like a "if your office is there, the baseline you need to pay based on today's rent for a 2-bedroom flat within 15 min walk to the office is..." number (hint: fresh grads should be able to afford a 1-bedroom flat within walking of their day job and still have money for food; and experienced staff should get more than that).
Transit is profitable, though. Second-order and third-order effects make transit extremely profitable even by the most pessimistic estimates.
Part of what resists this in North America is their sprawling developments. It often increases travel distance, time, and cost while also being poorly connected to other modes of transit/walkability. Quality transit and denser, mixed use urban fabric go hand in hand. A single bus stop brings less value to a neighbourhood of large lot SFH than a single bus stop brings to a mixed use street, an apartment building, or neighbourhood of townhomes.