Are free buses a good idea?

Aside from my concerns about how the PLP will fund their $10 million pledge to make public transport free, I have other doubts about the merits of the idea.

The aim of the policy is to get more cars off the roads. Thus, it presumes that cost is the reason that more people do not use the bus. But it's already considerably cheaper to ride the bus than take the car in to work. The fare from St. George's to Hamilton can be as little as $2 each way. In contrast, it's $5 to park a car in Bull's Head all day, not to mention the cost of gas and wear-and-tear on the car. People prefer to use their cars because they're more convenient. Making the buses free won't change that.

If this initiative does persuade more people to use the bus, however, it's likely to create a new set of problems. The rush hour buses from Hamilton to St. George's are already full, particularly during cruise ship season. Unless the Government also increases their frequency (something that it has so far been unable to do), the buses are going to become more crowded, and more people will be left behind at the stops. Whereupon those who can will go right back to using their cars again.

I'm just not convinced that this policy has been thought through.