WELL, Well, Welll...

...it looks like some cities are gonna be experimenting with free public transit:

Eliminating fares gives a badly needed boost to ridership, removes cost burdens— particularly for lower-income riders -— and reduces boarding times at stops. Proponents also hope it will compel more people to get out of their cars and ride transit.

“A very, very large proportion of residents feel that their lives are more convenient now that they don’t have to ration trips,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has championed free transit policies since she was a city councilor, told CNN. “We’re seeing the difference that it makes when you remove financial barriers for everyone.”

I don't know why this has taken cities so long to start doing this - if you make it incredibly easy for people to get into your city, you greatly increase the chances of them spending money in your city, and certainly more than however much they'd pay for their transit fares.

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), “didn't you come up with this very brilliance over 14 years ago?"

Sigh. Yes I did, faithful readers, YES I did:

At what point will the MTA realize sponsorship, and that the tokens should be free? Isn't the MTA one of the biggest venues of viewership - how come NBC makes a shitload from commercials yet I can easily flip away; yet on a subway train I CAN'T flip way...why not make me watch commercials for Bud Lite or The Simpsons...I mean, if there ever was a trapped audience, this is it!!! Have the MTA buy this sponsorship, and we all can ride for free!!!

Secondly - ever since I've moved here I've made a joke 'if you leave my house you might as well light a $20 on fire', hahaha. It WAS funny, but I would think that the more people you get on the train, the more the city makes. We're riding into the city with at least $4; why would that NOT affect the city? Give us a free ride, we'll spend exponentially more in the city.

Sigh. The Universe may work slowly, but eventually it does catch up to me.