Public transportation should be free

Fees for buses and trains should be waived for the poor and the homeless.

Madison Diemert
News Editor

As college students, we always have somewhere to be- whether it’s work, school, or a party, we’re on the go. And for us, we’re lucky.

Most of us live close enough to walk, bike, skateboard, or take the bus for free, if we live near a bus stop. And if we have to, we can drive. That is, if we own a car. 

But a lot of people can’t afford a car, or just don’t have one. They can’t buy one or the gas is too expensive. And these people might not be as lucky to live near their school or place of work.

For them, they need to take public transport. But what if they’re not a college student? They wouldn’t have access to a free bus ride like the rest of us. 

This is a problem in many communities, especially communities that are struggling and deep into poverty. What happens to these people if they don’t have a car or enough money to take the bus or train?

They also have places to be just like us, and if they live too far from work, they won’t be able to get there. That causes more problems. First, they couldn’t afford a bus ride, and now they can’t even get to work to try to earn the money for said ride.

It would never end.

Without proper transportation, many people living in poverty will suffer, and this is where I get to my point. These people should be offered free public transportation. In fact, I think public transportation should be free for everyone.

There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to rely on our city for a public service, just as parks are free, a bus ride to and from work should be free.

This also goes for homeless people. The homeless don’t have anywhere to stay, and if they get a job, many of them will have no way of getting there if they are staying at a shelter some miles away. 

We can’t expect that the homeless or the poor should pay a fee that they cannot afford. These people already don’t have money. How are they to earn a decent living when they have to worry about paying several fees a day? 

I get that everyone who owns a car has to pay for their own gas, or people who can afford the ride pay for it, but these people can’t afford either.

I can pay for my own gas if need be, but the homeless veteran on the side of the road can’t even pay for a burger at McDonald’s. We need to try to make public transportation services free, for the sake of those who need it. 

Feature photo courtesy of Flickr.