Alon Levy

Alon Levy analyzed the report fully and concluded that it was not "a serious argument."

There’s a moralistic discourse in the United States about fare evasion on public transport that makes it about every issue other than public transport or fares. It’s a proxy for lawlessness, for police racism, for public safety, for poverty. In lieu of treating it as a big intra-urban culture war, I am going to talk about best practices from the perspective of limiting revenue loss to a minimum.

Commuter rail in the United States mostly caters to affluent suburbanites who commute to the city center. Even though these lines pass through working class city neighborhoods that stand to benefit enormously from better transit, the service they provide passes those communities by. It doesn't have to be that way.

He canceled the Red Line, which would serve predominantly black Baltimore neighborhoods, but not the Purple Line, which will serve a whiter, more affluent population but is not demonstrably more cost-effective.

While the habit formation effect is real, it is not, unfortunately, very large.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has carefully cultivated the image of a business-minded Republican intent on running government more efficiently. But when it comes to transit, Baker's spending priorities are not consistent with his pragmatic persona.

In Europe it's common for regional rail systems to get ridership comparable to that of the subway in the central city. But in America, this is unheard of. One reason for the discrepancy is land use: American commuter rail stations are typically surrounded by parking, while in the Paris region you see a different pattern with ample development next to suburban train stations.

In the U.S., regional rail is mostly good for one type of trip: the commute. But in Paris, regional rail is oriented toward all types of trips, and people ride throughout the day, not just at rush hour. One key to success is running frequent, predictable service all day long.

The Trump transition team is already harassing companies in several ways, all of which are likely to lead to more graft and higher costs for the public.