About this episode
It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we charge people to use it? The short answer: it’s complicated. Also: We talk to the man who gets half the nation’s mass-transit riders where they want to go (most of the time). SOURCES: Marcus Finbom , traffic planner in Stockholm, Sweden. Robbie Makinen , former president and C.E.O. of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Janno Lieber , chair and C.E.O. of the M.T.A. in New York City. Brian Taylor , professor of urban planning and public policy and director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at U.C.L.A. Shashi Verma , director of strategy and C.T.O. at Transport for London. Michelle Wu , mayor of Boston. RESOURCES: " Free Bus Service Starts Sunday on 5 Routes in New York City ," by Ana Ley ( The New York Times, 2023). “ Vehicle Access and Falling Transit Ridership: Evidence From Southern California ,” by Michael Manville, Brian D. Taylor, Evelyn Blumenberg, and Andrew Schouten ( Transportation, 2023). “ Route-28 Fare-Free Pilot Evaluation: Summary Findings ,” by the City of Boston Transportation (2022). “ Forget Fare Hikes — Make the T Free ,” by Michelle Wu ( The Boston Globe, 2019). Traffic Power Structure , by Planka.nu (2016). " The Impacts of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility: Childhood Exposure Effects and County-Level Estimates ," by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren ( NBER Working Paper, 2015). " Fare, Free, or Something in Between? " by Jennifer S. Perone and Joel M. Volinski ( World Transit Research, 2003). Planka.Nu . EXTRAS: " Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians? " by Freakonomics Radio (2023). " Should Public Transit Be Free? " by Freakonomics Radio (2022). “ Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished? ” by Freakonomics Radio (2021). “ The Perfect Crime ,” by Freakonomics Radio (2014). “ Parking Is Hell ,” by Freakonomics Radio (2013). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.