Lower Transit Fares Would Attract Riders
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* When a mass transit system is built with tax dollars to serve a community, the cost of building the system should be written off immediately when the system is complete. It should not be considered in determining the fare schedule. The system serves the community best when it carries the maximum number of passengers.
The cost of operating the system is essentially the same whether the system is operated full or empty. Therefore the fare should be adjusted to attract near-capacity ridership.
No mass transit system can compete with some of the advantages of the privately owned automobile.
Most people will own an automobile whether they need it to commute to work or not. The cost of owning and operating an automobile has very little to do with the mass transit fare.
The system serves the community better when it carries 10 passengers at 10 cents each than one passenger at $1.
Taking 10 people out of their cars serves the community much better from the standpoint of pollution abatement and traffic congestion.
R. J. WORCHESTER
Chatsworth
Worchester is president of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the California Society of Professional Engineers.
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