Mass transit officials from around the country were recently invited to Washington to testify before congress.  All participants agreed that they needed more funding.  Why?  Listen to Carole Brown, chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority.  “The more people that we can move to public transportation, the better,” she said. “We need continued investment in the system [because] there’s not a public transportation system in the world that is not subsidized by its government, and I think the investment needs to be increased so we can encourage people [to get] out of their cars.”  Brown said that if transit agencies did not get more money, they would have to pay for their operations through ticket prices, which would mean more people would get “back into their cars.”
 
This is one of the most preposterous statements by a public official that I have ever read.  Let's start with her logic about subsidies.  Even if it's true that all transportation systems in the world are subsidized, how does that justify it in America?  By what right should 98% of the taxpayers have to pay for the 2% of the population that uses transit?  It's absurd not to raise ticket prices if that's what is required to finance transit systems.  After all, automobile users pay tolls, license fees and vehicle sales taxes to use roads so why shouldn't transit users pay for their transit use.  Brown goes further, “[T]transit providers throughout the country are raising fares and cutting back on well-utilized service because of shortfalls in operating funding,” she said. “Cutbacks of this magnitude will force a reduction in service and possibly another increase in fares. People will be forced back into their cars.”  The Forgotten Man has never heard of anyone who felt 'forced into their cars'.  In fact most (if not all) people love their cars and look forward to buying their next car.  Furthermore her claims of well utilized systems are unfounded as pointed out in previous posts by The Forgotten Man.  Transit may have a greater share in Chicago than the 4% national market share,  but it's still losing money like crazy and the last thing we need is to raise taxes to pay for poor investments.

Carole Brown does not define why it's better to move people into public transportation, but she seems comfortable asserting it as fact.  Fortunately there is no evidence around the country that supports her assertion but I am sure that won't stop her from trying to raise our taxes by 'subsidizing' transit.