I lived carfree in Milwaukee for a while (picking that as an example of a city that only has bus service), and the time savings really didn't seem that bad once I got used to it. A trip to one of the shopping malls on my side of town was about the worst-case scenario, and there it typically took ~40m on the bus, versus ~20m by car. I like reading and I had a Nintendo DS at the time, so that ~20m difference was spent doing what I would have probably done with the extra time, anyway. I was just doing it without a cat in my lap.
An easy trade, I thought, considering that I was typically spending no more than $10 a week on bus fare. Often more like $0, especially in the summer, when it was more fun to get around by bike. Owning a car or using a taxi service for my main way of getting around would have cost thousands per month. That's quite a few fewer apples, and not a whole lot more oranges.
We technically have a bus system, but it’s a joke.
A good credit card will cover Collision Damage (though you may need to shove a copy of the card's rental coverage in the face of the rental sales associate as they may try to claim it isn't covered). You can pay the minimum liability insurance, or you can get a "non-owner liability insurance policy" which will cover you for the year, saving you money if you rent frequently. Personal accident insurance is optional and may be covered by your health insurance.
At least compared to NYC, where I could hop on the subway to anywhere in the boroughs.
No wonder politicians can so easily manipulate the public. “I don’t pay money at the time the service is rendered, therefore it’s free!” It is coming out of your pocket, just at a different time.
> The US as a whole subsidizes car ownership to a huge degree.
Are you making hand wavy arguments about wars for oil or something? Last I checked roads are paid for by various taxes, including gas tax, which I pay.
When you combine the total cost of ownership, subsidies, and infrastructure, you'll find that cars are far more expensive, privately and publically, at moving people than buses.
Unless you happen to use a bus. Then you benefit from it. And as a non-public transport user, I subsidize your public transit. It’s a wash.
> When you combine the total cost of ownership, subsidies, and infrastructure, you'll find that cars are far more expensive, privately and publically, at moving people than buses.
I never said otherwise. I objected to the argument that there is such a thing as a “free” bus service. The OP was comparing said “free” service to paying for a bus ticket. It’s not a fair comparison to make.
If we go to a restaurant, and go halvesies on the bill, but I order a salad, and you order a steak dinner with a bottle of champagne, it's not a wash. Subsidies to public transit vs subsidies to personal automobiles is more similar to that situation.
But yes, nothing is free. However, plenty of services are 'free', in that there is no cost to the user, as opposed to a non-user.
Baltimore has a free shuttle bus called the Charm City Circulator. It's not intended to move people around the city. Instead it's targeted at a central problem area that may otherwise be prone to increased traffic congestion, pollution, and slower or lower ridership. It also facilitates tourism and gives an incentive for workers to live in/near the downtown area.
The CCC is popular enough that it's hard to get on one heading downtown in the mornings because they're so packed with people heading to work. And strangely enough, it's much cleaner and with fewer undesirable riders than regular (paid) buses in the city. This is probably due to the historically segregated layout of the city and the particular routes these buses take. The biggest problem with the CCC is it hasn't been funded or maintained properly, so these strange custom shuttles are breaking down and there's nothing to replace them. As a result they had to cut down some of the routes, while they also expanded the most popular route to travel farther north.
When it comes to long-distance transport (between cities) children travel free, but the parent with the buggy has to pay.
Edit: For comparison-purposes an electronic ticket for unlimited (local) tram, bus, or subway travel would cost an adult approximately €50/month.
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/ride-free-area/index.ht...
Estonia plans to be the first one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17107317 So it doesn't exist yet, but might come true soon enough.