A second problem is the local fixation on steel wheels, as if the shift from rubber to steel is somehow essential for becoming a big-league city. Yet, as Collins knows from his years in the bus business at Metro, buses have a crucial advantage over rail. Buses can rumble along with 6 seconds' headway between them, while trains require 3-4 minutes. Metro's free downtown bus rides not only sped up buses through town, but doubled ridership in a year, Collins said. Skagit County has a popular countywide free service.
Free transit promises an upward virtuous circle.
People shift to the bus because it's such a good deal. As more people use a line, more buses appear, reducing waiting time. With much more convenient service, still more shift to buses, and so on. You then build in a strong constituency of users who clamor for cleaner buses and on-board coffee service. It becomes a public good, like free books at libraries, and one with enormous environmental, social and land-planning benefits.