Beyond that, Metro already plans to add as many as 200 more buses and 18 percent more service over the next six years. Metro managers expect to put plenty of paying riders on those buses, but will hardly claim that even 200 more buses will cure congestion. And Metro also points out that many of its riders' costs are already reduced by discounts or subsidized by their employers. More than half of Metro's riders travel on a monthly pass. Systemwide fare elimination would mean additional costs in non-peak times, too.
Buses are flexible.
They can change routes at virtually a moment's notice if traffic or weather conditions dictate. If demand rises, drops or shifts, buses and routes can be quickly changed in response. But there are things that buses can't do. They can't escape the calculus of congestion. They must travel essentially on the same pavement that all the other traffic does.