Criticism of Free Transportation Days
The program has drawn criticism for doing little to alleviate pollution. University of California, Berkeley researcher Aaron Golub calculated the cost per ton of pollution removed as a result of Spare the Air was estimated at $100,000 per ton for nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons and $10 million per ton for particulate matter, compared to $5,000 and $20,000 per ton respectively for a pollution reduction program. The cost for Spare the Air free fares is about $2 million a day, and MTC has claimed that the goal of the program is not reducing air pollution, but rather as an incentive for people to consider public transit. In addition, the free fares also attract criminal elements. Crime on BART increased, with BART police blaming youths riding for free for fights, assaults, burglaries, and robberies. Calls to BART police spiked by over 100%, compared to a 10% increase in the number of passengers on the same day the previous year. Because of this, BART is considering restricting free rides to only the morning commute.
Riders of ferries also complained about severe overcrowding, with ferry ridership on the Sausalito ferry experiencing a 500% increase from normal and ridership on the Larkspur ferry increasing by 150% from ridership a week previous. Regular riders were turned away. However, some argue that providing free transit has helped spur the economy, by bringing people to San Francisco's shopping district that otherwise would not go.
Read more about this topic: Spare The Air Program
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