What Will It Take to Make Mass Transit the Norm?

Will people start consistently riding mass transit when gas prices stay above $5 per gallon? $10? What about when we are paying the true cost of driving (i.e. emissions, disposal)? What if we had to swipe a credit or debit card every time you drive? How about charging for access to roads, like the congestion charge London has undertaken? Perhaps if mass transit were free; paid for by the aforementioned charges to drivers, more people would be inclined to ride.

A while back we wrote about how the interstate system is like the high speed rail debate. Think about the amount of money that goes into maintaining roads. What if these funds were (or had been originally) directed to mass transit?

Would people be more inclined to ride light rail, subways, and buses if they offered wifi or some other benefits that driving can’t? We’ve discussed numerous times the benefits of public transportation (few of the choice posts on the topic can be found here and here).

What will it take? I look forward to your comments.

By the way, this post was written entirely on the light rail.

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