Free PT as in beer.

This jaw-droppingly absurd comment on the Public Transport Users Association site:

Myth: Making public transport free will encourage use

Fact: It's not the cost of public transport that puts people off using it.
Just eliminating fares without improving services won't shift the habits of
enough people to justify the cost. But if service improvements can attract more
people to public transport, we might as well maintain reasonably cheap fares so
as to recover some of the cost.

Of course, this works for many things.

Myth: Making beer free will encourage alcoholism.

Fact: It's not the cost of beer that puts people off drinking it - it's the flavour. If we could only somehow improve the flavour of beer, them we could reach liver damage equal to those of our peers (Russia, etc.)

Myth: Public transport users who bother to be a part of an association care about public transport.

Fact: They just don't want even more unsavory types - the sort of people that would use things if they are free - on THEIR private transport, and (as they obviously have already coughed up for yearly tickets, and don't want to seem like complete fools) would rather the same money be spent on making the existing system upgraded.

THE CURRENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRICING STRUCTURE MAKES IT MORE COSTLY TO USE THAN TO DRIVE FOR ANYTHING EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLING NORMAL USAGE.

Let's say a trip to the city, Zone 1/2/3, all day ticket, $12.60. Let's say it's around $5 of petrol to drive - 4WDs and V8's excepted. Government already pays 60% of costs, so the actual cost of the ticket is $31.50.

To bring the cost down to equal petrol costs would be to pay 84% instead of 60%, bringing the ticket to $5.04. Which means an outlay of $160 million, without the $60 million saved on ticketing machines and the enforcement thereof.

So $360 for free, and $160 to make it even competitive, (heaven forbid actually make it cheaper.) Car ownership, registration and maintenance excepted (although the PTUA seems to agree with me there.)

We live in an age where flag poles cost $9,000 - and may go to around 100 ministers, I'm sure they can scrounge the money for free PT somehow.

And to the fellow who made the comment: "It would be good if the State Greens pulled their fingers out of their butts and started to try and support and promote policies such as this - they may even win a few votes" on Melbourne IndyMedia - they're already getting as many votes as Democrats, Nationals and Family First combined here, yet have no representation as yet (Nats have many.) It's a bit odd to complain that a party with no elected members is being inactive, you need to get elected first. And for that, you need votes, and help.