What are some possible ways to encourage the use of public transportation?

Question

What are some possible ways to encourage the use of public transportation?

Answer 1

I think the best answer is to stop investing in road transport.  Stop paying millions of dollars in taxpayer money on adding lanes to freeways and building fancy ramps and interchanges, and invest it in public transit instead.  Also raise the tax on gas to make driving more expensive.

Answer 2

get rid of all the cars

Answer 3

A Shotgun and a box shells and of Dynamite!that'll get us on Public Transports!!!! LOLj/k

Answer 4

Have the city publicize the system and make it part of local events.  When there is some festival, have the city offer free parking and shuttles on city buses/subways.  Or as part of admission, receive a discount equal to the fare and free ride back.

Make sure the public can get where they want to go.  Routes that go where people don't want to go are ridiculous.  Houston has a few heavily traveld bus routes and far too many routes with next to nobody on the buses, all day long.

Understand that not everybody is going to use mass transit, no matter how well the system is designed or whatever offers you create.  Don't spend millions on a light rail in a suburban area.  People won't utilize the system.

Answer 5

Having it would be a good start.

Answer 6

I believe there's a bankruptcy clause that require railroads to destroy their tracks if they go belly up.

That clause makes a lot of railroads much more cautious than they need to be, and much more ready to throw in the towel when things go sour.  Sure, the crossings should be re-done, but the rest should stay in place.  That would make it a lot easier for public transportation to get off the ground in marginal areas.

It might also be possible to encourage subways, ski-lift style cable cars, and other forms of public transportation that can go in a straight line from point A to point B.

I think that these alternates would give public transportation a better image than the busses that everyone pushes.  Busses show off all their negative sides to the general public better than any other kind of public transportation.  They take up road space, they get in the way of traffic, they have surly, and unreliable drivers.  They bounce around without seat belts, they belch out exhaust fumes, their brakes usually squeal, and everyone can see how empty they are.  

With almost all other forms of public transportation, the defects are not so obvious, and therefore, fewer people notice drawbacks.  This helps to keep up the "image" of these other forms of public transportation, and "image" is what sells tickets.  With public transportation, image is important, because you must sell many individuals on a single vehicle to get the revenue you need.

Answer 7

CLEAN THEM UP ON A REGULAR BASIS.