Free Public Transit: And Why We Don't Pay to Ride Elevators

Publisher:  Black Rose Books
Year Published:  2018
Pages:  274pp   ISBN:  978-1-55164-657-2
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX24300

In an age of increasing inequalities and ecological crisis, movements for free public transit are proposing a profound rethinking of urban transit as a fundamental human right and public good. Research shows that, if the bus were free, people would ride it as much as 50% more in the first year, dramatically reducing car use, traffic, and pollution, while redistributing wealth and increasing social inclusion for poor and working people. But free public transit alone is not enough; it must also be combined with much better service and reserve bus lanes to be effective. In its twenty chapters, this book explores the winning strategies and pitfalls of case studies ranging across fourteen countries: the United States, Canada, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, China, France, Belgium, Germany, and Australia.

Abstract: 
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Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction to the Second Edition
Introduction to the First Edition
1. Free Public Transit: Scope and Definitions (Wojciech Keblowski)
2. The Transport Spectrum and Vectors of Change (Jan Scheurer)
3. The Political Economy of Transport (Judith Dellheim)
4. Traffic Policy in Bologna: 'Free Fares Were Just the Beginning' (Max Jäggi)
5. Learning from Red Bologna (Maurizio Tira and Michelle DeRobertis)
6. Jamming Fare Boxes in Montreal (Jason Prince)
7. Belgium: Ending the Car Siege in Hasselt (Michael Brie)
8. Tallinn: Estonia Leads the Way With Free Public Transit (Allan Alaküla)
9. Poland: Take Your Potted Plant To Town (Lukasz Lugowski)
10. France: A 'New May 1968' in Aubagne? (Wojciech Keblowski)
11. Planka.nu: Jumping Turnstiles in Sweden (Anna Nygård)
12. Challenging the Impossible: Toronto (Herman Rosenfeld)
13. The United States: Seeking Transit Justice from Seattle to New York City (Rosalie Ray)
14. Germany: Europe's 'Car Country' is Turning on its Head (Judith Dellheim)
15. Greece: Automobiles or Public Transport? (Georgios Daremas)
16. Brazil: From Dream to Nightmare (Paula Aftimus and Daniel Santini)
17. The Right to the City in Mexico (Lorena Zárate)
18. Riding for Free in a Chinese Metropolis (Wojciech Keblowski)
19. Value Capture: Linking Public Transport to Land Value (Jan Scheurer)
20. Concluding Remarks
Notes on the Contributors

Subject Headings

• Public Transportation