Fare-free transit has lately been floated as a panacea for solving any number of society’s ills. But is it the best end goal for advocates and policymakers?

Since 1980, residents of Los Angeles have voted four times to tax themselves to fund transportation projects, including rail lines that were supposed to transform LA into America’s next great transit city. But speculation about the impending liberation of LA from car dependence and congestion is premature, to say the least.

An increasing number of agencies like San Francisco’s MTA, TriMet in Portland, and Seattle’s King County Metro are ushering a new paradigm by decriminalizing fare evasion and developing equitable fare enforcement strategies.

A TransitCenter review of MTA/New York City Transit elevator performance data found that eight of New York City’s wealthiest real estate owners are shirking their legal obligation to maintain and operate their subway station elevators at stations adjacent to their properties.

A major capacity increase for New York’s commuter rail system is on the horizon, in the form of the LIRR’s pending connection to Grand Central Terminal. NYC leaders seeking more for the city from the railroad system should wage a fight over how that capacity will be allocated before it’s too late.  

Public transportation allows people to get around without cars. It seems counterintuitive, then, that many transit agencies require job applicants to have a valid driver’s license even when driving isn’t expected as part of their duties.

As TransitCenter’s latest report, “From Sorry to Superb: Everything You Need to Know About Better Bus Stops” chronicles, nearly half of all public transit rides in the US begin at a bus stop. Yet our bus stops are woefully underfunded.

For riders facing fare hikes, fare capping can soften the blow.