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Originally Posted by Abide
Public transit is free in Corvallis. Has been for several years.
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I didn't know that, but it's great to hear. Another example is Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which also has universally free wi-fi (another sensible innovation, in my opinion). Its population of 435,000 makes it slightly smaller than Portland (though much smaller metro). Tallinn's a pretty cool city, btw (it's got the things going for it that many Scandinavian cities do, and has also become a sort of suburb of Helsinki since Estonia joined the EU; I know a couple of people who have moved there in the past few years).
Quote:
Originally Posted by cityscapes
Why should public transportation in Portland be free while at the same time you hold London up as a model cushioning the poor and middle classes yet the base cash fare in zone 1 is GBP 4.80 which at todays exchange rates is $7.44 for ONE RIDE. I know the contactless fare is 2.30 but that's still 3.50 a ride unless you buy the pass which isn't exactly cheap either. And don't even get me started on the flawed provision of social housing with the RSLs and the Right to Buy scheme not to mention the poor condition most of the housing is in or the deficit built up of housing units that should have been built in the UK in the past few decades.
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You're preaching to the choir with the stuff on housing policy, believe me. Still, the legacy of council housing is what makes it possible for London to be the thriving, multicultural city it is today. Regarding transit fares, they're not quite as bad as you make out. Paying cash on buses isn't even an option anymore; the Oyster/contactless pay-as-you-go bus fare is £1.50. Needless to say, frequent riders end up paying less using weekly tickets or annual passes; transit is also significantly cheaper for students and free throughout the UK if you're over 65.