Interesting thoughts. The very little I use TTC (almost always opting for biking or walking) has left me with the impression of a very broken system. No one who has other options wants to use it, free or otherwise. I don't know that there's any research to suggest making it free would decrease vehicle use. It also certainly wouldn't reduce bus line ups. I like the idea of more transit priority routes, like downtown King St., but even that would have to be done in conjunction with improving service or it wouldn't impact ridership. At least with a paid system there is some motivation to improve it so more people will use it. I fear that a free system would just entrench and worsen the problems (rather like our broken health care system and increasing wait times). I think improvement needs to come before fare removal - or at the very least, hand in hand.
I love your perspective on mindset. I love taking transit and I think it can be a service that others found exciting (in a good way) or relaxing. And I agree with you that for many people, it is. If we could have better service outside the downtown core, or in gridlocked areas, then even more people could experience transit as a treat rather than a burden. In general in our society the need to have instant gratification, or the need to rush, certainly causes me extra stress and I'll keep in mind your observations when I find myself impatient. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your comments!
Interesting thoughts. The very little I use TTC (almost always opting for biking or walking) has left me with the impression of a very broken system. No one who has other options wants to use it, free or otherwise. I don't know that there's any research to suggest making it free would decrease vehicle use. It also certainly wouldn't reduce bus line ups. I like the idea of more transit priority routes, like downtown King St., but even that would have to be done in conjunction with improving service or it wouldn't impact ridership. At least with a paid system there is some motivation to improve it so more people will use it. I fear that a free system would just entrench and worsen the problems (rather like our broken health care system and increasing wait times). I think improvement needs to come before fare removal - or at the very least, hand in hand.
I love your perspective on mindset. I love taking transit and I think it can be a service that others found exciting (in a good way) or relaxing. And I agree with you that for many people, it is. If we could have better service outside the downtown core, or in gridlocked areas, then even more people could experience transit as a treat rather than a burden. In general in our society the need to have instant gratification, or the need to rush, certainly causes me extra stress and I'll keep in mind your observations when I find myself impatient. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your comments!