Public transportation options.

[Richard]

Buses again,anyways,St Petersburg FL is retrying a program again that did not receive much support 5 years ago but times do change I guess.

How it works is if you do not live on the bus line but live up to 3 miles from it you can receive a $3 voucher from the city to use Uber or a taxi service from your house to the nearest bus line.

The theory is if it costs the city $150,000 to run an underused line it becomes cheaper long term to hand out $40,000 in vouchers,makes sense.

I guess if you are a taxi company you could argue that it is not worth collecting the $3 fare weather it is a mile or 3 miles,I guess also the city could counter react with we are the ones that issue your license,is there really a problem?

Think this would work?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I would reserve all the public transit money for the public transit system. Corporate welfare [[and that is what this is; government money going to Uber drivers and cab operators) is as bad as any other kind. Reasonable efforts should be made to make public transit available to the largest possible pool of users, but it should stop there. If you happen to live 20 miles from a swimming pool, the dept of recreation shouldn't send a car to pick up your kids in the summer. It's unreasonable. And the thought of using license withholding on any business for refusing to do essentially pro-bono work is Orwellian. Charity ain't charity with a gun to your head.

Do I think this could work? No. But here is what people should take away to improve themselves and our city: STOP EXPECTING OTHER PEOPLE TO OVERCOME YOUR LIFE PROBLEMS. NEED PUBLIC TRANSIT? MOVE NEAR IT, OR GET READY TO WALK. As a society we already provide myriad public services. Expecting it to be gently placed on your doorstep, too, is a very self-destructive sense of entitlement to have.

[Richard]

I am not sure if it becomes a charity aspect,all taxpayers support public services and really all taxpayers should have reasonable access to those services.

If one says the bus line runs down Woodward and if you want to ride it you either walk or live on the line,limits ridership which in turn revenue which also puts more burden on the taxpayer.Not to even mention the increase in housing prices on a major thoroughfare compared using the bus route aspect as maybe a more desirable incentive.

There are quite a few cities that have public swimming pools and offer central pick up locations to bring more to the pool,is that considered charity or utilizing available methods to increase usage which in turn again justifies taxpayer expense.

I just started driving again after 5 years of not,and using public transportation,it was not a life problem and I can afford pretty much any car out there,there are a maridrid of reasons for life problems.I am 55,The one thing I noticed the most in my little "study" ,was the misconception and stereotyping of public transportation users.

Yes,I bought a house across the street from the bus stop and could walk 4 blocks to catch the street car to go downtown but I actually enjoyed it and it was the lack of reliable delivery services business wise that really forced me back into driving.

Some cities public transportation is a way of life and others you are pretty much a dirt bag if you are on the bus.

The license refusal was my own little input,I am not sure how St Petersburg is handling that but on a short run Uber is pretty much in line with that anyways.