My good friend Leo over at the always great Zen Habits sent a long a link that he thought I would find interesting, which I did, so I am passing it along to you. There is a great post up over at The Tyee with more than 17 reasons why we should stop charging people to take public transportation. Here are the first 5 reasons that the writer gives:

1. a barrier-free transportation option to every member of the community (no more worries about exact change, expiring transfers, or embarrassment about how to pay)
2. eliminating a “toll” from a mode of transportation that we as a society want to be used (transit is often the only way of getting around that charges a toll)
3. reducing the inequity between the subsidies given to private motorized vehicle users and public transport users
4. reducing, and in some cases eliminating, the need for private motorized vehicle parking
5. reducing greenhouse gas emissions, other air pollutants, noise pollution (especially with electric trolleys), and run-off of toxic chemicals into fresh water supplies and ocean environments

Be sure to go read the rest of the reasons at The Tyee. I have to agree that making public transportation free of charge could alleviate a lot of problems that big cities have with traffic and pollution. Great post to check out when you have a few minutes!