No. of Recommendations: 8
... on the street report.
This is being done in Iowa City and is having impacts beyond who is riding the buses. The NYT went too look at the experiment in the midwest. The story starts out sounding like a joke. [Free link]
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/climate/iowa-ci...
There was a psychiatrist, a librarian, a substitute teacher and a graduate student in biomedical engineering. There was an Amazon warehouse worker who’d just finished his night shift, and a man who’d lost his driver’s license because of an incident in Florida that he didn’t want to talk about.
They were all riding Iowa City’s buses one sunny November morning, and they were all amped about the same thing: That everyone got to ride for free.
Iowa City eliminated bus fares in August 2023 with a goal of lowering emissions from cars and encouraging people to take public transit. The two-year pilot program proved so popular that the City Council voted this summer to extend it another year, paying for it with a 1 percent increase in utility taxes and by doubling most public parking rates to $2 from $1.
/snips from the story
Ridership has surpassed prepandemic levels
People drove 1.8 million fewer miles on city streets
emissions dropped by 24,000 metric tons
on-time arrivals have increased by 13 percent.
not having to ask passengers for payment or transfers has led to less friction with riders.
I hope NYC's experience is as positive.
No. of Recommendations: 0
The population of Iowa City is 74,900, of whom about 72% are white (non-hispanic).
The population of New York City is 8,478,000, of whom 30.9% are white (non-hispanic).
The Iowa City bus system has 13 routes.
The NYC bus system has: 238 local routes; 20 Select Bus service routes; and 75 express routes (total 333).
But sure. A free bus is a free bus.
No. of Recommendations: 0
NIce.
It's needed.
As I've said on TMF ----many times -----people are on the edge. Trouble is the TMF 401K types --there and here are in their bubble and don't get it.
Socioeconomic policies and trends.
Digital Culture Run Amok.
Breakdown of culture, and traditional anchors of life.
Checkmate.
They lost.
No. of Recommendations: 3
The NYC bus system has: 238 local routes; 20 Select Bus service routes; and 75 express routes (total 333).
The MTA is already heavily subsidized by tax payers.
From the net sifter:
The New York City bus system budget, which is part of the larger Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is subsidized by taxpayers through a combination of dedicated taxes, state and city government contributions, and federal aid
. In 2024, fares and tolls covered 39% of the MTA's operating budget, while the remaining 61% came from taxes, fees, and other government sources, meaning a significant portion, over half, is taxpayer-subsidized.
Taxpayer-funded sources: The MTA receives a large portion of its funding from taxpayer-supported sources, such as dedicated taxes and fees, and direct contributions from New York State and New York City governments.
Fare and toll revenue: In 2024, fares and tolls accounted for 39% of the MTA's operating budget, down from 52% before the pandemic.
Government contributions: State and city governments provide a substantial portion of the MTA's funding, with New York City taxpayers contributing an estimated 45% of the state's contribution to the MTA.
Overall subsidy: As fares and tolls only cover 39% of the operating costs, the remaining 61% is covered by government funding and other subsidies, making the system heavily taxpayer-subsidized.
Unfortunately, the net sifter did not find an estimate of how much of the MTA's budget is spent administering the fare collection and processing.
But, ideology dictates that people pay for everything. The media also has blowhards like Sean Hannity that bellow that public transit is "a big gummit conspiracy to take away our freeedom", which I heard him say with my own ears.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 1
I hope NYC's experience is as positive.
Glad to have you with us! Even if we may not ever mention it again. You really ought to give Iowa a try.
No. of Recommendations: 1
... how much of the MTA's budget is spent administering the fare collection and processing.
I never thought about that. I'm sure it is < 39%, but it must be > 0%.
