Cities that want more people on buses have two obvious options.
They can cut the or improve the service.
Cutting the is popular and easy to announce.
Improving the service is slow and mostly invisible until it is done.
The evidence points firmly at the second.
care far more about waiting than about price.
A bus every ten minutes attracts people that a free bus every hour never will.
also removes the need to consult a .
That single change makes the usable for unplanned trips.
Free travel does have one clear effect.
It helps households on the lowest incomes immediately.
A discount achieves the same thing at a of the cost.
The money saved can then buy the frequency that everyone benefits from.