Should we have to pay for public transit?

Public transit is quite helpful for college students. Many students prefer to purchase bus passes instead of spending money on gas or maintaining a car, as parking passes can be expensive as well.

On April 28, ABC 7 LA reported there could be a gas shortage this summer, which would more than likely increase the number of people taking public transit.

There is a steaming debate as to whether we should pay for public transit.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people taking public transit decreased. However, some public transit companies are not even charging riders to avoid interaction with their employees, as well as limiting riders.

But as COVID-19 vaccines continue to be distributed and cases decrease, we could see more passengers.

Public transit is an essential service and with the pandemic plummeting their number of passengers, they may need to start charging soon to stay afloat. The many duties of public transit include reducing congestion, air pollution, and oil consumption it has many benefits.

According to APTA (LINK!) for every $1 invested into public transportation, it generates $5 in economic returns. When $1 billion is invested into public transportation, it creates about 50,000 new jobs.

With COVID-19 this obviously takes a hit, but with so many people losing their jobs throughout the pandemic, creating more jobs would be beneficial to the community.

Public transportation can offer students, disabled people and seniors discounted bus passes like they normally do, to accommodate those that depend on public transportation.

Not only does the community benefit financially, but they gain increased fuel efficiency, less congestion, and air pollution increase mobility, and it can save time and money for riders.

Due to the jobs and economic benefits that come with paying for public transportation, making it free would be a big detrimental hit to a lot of communities. Not only will many jobs be cut, but a lot of money to reinvest into the rest of the community will be gone.

Pay for public transportation and be grateful that your money is going a long way.