In addition to the ways in which excellent public transportation can be a wise investment that yields valuable returns, public transportation is a moral issue. It’s about freedom, opportunity, and autonomy,
Public Transportation Means Freedom
Citizens have a basic right to participate in society. This includes the ability to go to work, to engage in commerce, to fulfill civic duties such as voting, and to leave home to enjoy recreation. While freedom of movement is important to all citizens, excellent public transportation extends this freedom to citizens that otherwise might be unable to get around on their own due to disability or advanced age.
Public Transportation Means Opportunity
Not everyone can drive. Excellent public transportation enables employers that have located their businesses on transit lines to hire workers that might not be able to drive to work. Not only do these employers gain employees, excellent public transportation enables workers to escape poverty and improve their lives.
Public Transportation Means Autonomy
Because it provides a safe, affordable, convenient way to get around without having to drive one’s own vehicle or ask someone else for a ride, excellent public transportation increases autonomy. It allows us to decide how to make a trip based on logistics or personal values. For example, if I want to spend less on gas or car maintenance, excellent public transportation could help me achieve that goal.
Even citizens who never use transit themselves benefit from others’ choice to do so. For example, if I don’t want to drive my car on icy roads, I could make the streets safer for myself and others by taking transit to work. If I hate rush-hour traffic or searching for a place to park, transit could spare me those and reduce congestion for others.
Because excellent public transportation expands freedom, opportunity, and autonomy and benefits, not only individuals but those around them, it’s about American values. It’s the right thing to support. See you on the bus?