The Herald reports:
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said public transport costs were rising, shifting more of the burden to ratepayers and taxpayers, who subsidised public transport services. In 2017, public transport users contributed 40% of the operating costs, but by 2023 this had dropped to 10%.
Public transport provides a benefit to those who use it, and a wider benefit by reducing congestion. The costs used to be shared 50/50 and that seems a fair split to me.
Those who use public transport are often wealthier, because you have to pay more to live near a public transport terminal. Having public transport users cover only 10% of the cost of their usage, is a wealth transfer from less well off to more well off.
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