You don’t write a (mostly) weekly opinion column in the local newspaper if you are the type of person who is afraid to champion viewpoints that might not be popular. You have to be at least a little comfortable with dissent, if not enemy fire.
At least that’s what I told myself when I settled on this week’s topic. I have a feeling a lot of people won’t agree, so I’ll do my best to explain why I think Park City and Summit County should stop clinging to the utopian notion of a free bus system and start charging for it.
The short answer is: You get what you pay for, and convenience comes with a cost. The more complex answer has to do with revenue and more direct routes that will get people where they want to go in a reasonable amount of time, increasing ridership. And human psychology, which lends itself to the idea that when something is free, it’s of little value. There are countless research papers on the matter, and they all draw the same conclusion: People don’t value free because much of what is free actually minimizes what we do value — our time. Which might explain why so many locals simply don’t take the bus.
Last weekend I headed up to Deer Valley for a couple hours of skiing. It turned out to be a couple of hours of skiing and a couple more just getting there and back. The free bus ended up costing me roughly 45 minutes each way. I live in Prospector – it’s not a stretch to say I could have walked faster, if only I hadn’t been wearing ski boots.
Currently, the stop near my house is served by the Yellow and Red lines, both of which go to Deer Valley… eventually. But not without stopping more than 30 and 40 times respectively. Expecting anyone to spend roughly 45 minutes (each way) instead of opting to hop in their car for a five-minute drive is a tough sell. Convenience is king.
It’s easy to dismiss this as a first-world problem, and it indeed is. Afterall, I’m annoyed by how long it takes me to get to a world-class ski resort while riding a free bus – equipped with Wi-Fi and heat. But ultimately, I’d prefer to be an environmentally friendly commuter regardless of how developed the country I reside in happens to be. Aside from that, there are a lot of seasonal resort workers in my neighborhood, who are paid by the hour and required to arrive at work on time. While the buses do try to stay on schedule, having dozens of stops on a route is a dice roll at best. Throw in traffic or a snowstorm and the entire timetable is thrown out. Resort workers need a faster, more reliable option.
City Hall transportation officials recently released a calendar predicting the worst days for traffic this winter. Between November and April, they project 93 days of peak traffic, with roughly two-thirds of those days considered “maximum peak days,” meaning traffic will exceed road and parking capacity.
If we are serious about reducing congestion and carbon footprints, we need to make some bold changes. Improved walkability, expanded bus service, and low-cost ride share programs are nice, but they aren’t improving the situation. Gimmicks like cash prizes and other incentives for riders might seem like a good idea, but they’re elementary. Our transportation problems are too big to be solved with a random gift card drawing.
We need dedicated lanes that allow buses to move faster than stalled traffic and a paid ridership program people value. Passes can, and should be, heavily subsidized for locals, but a free bus system for all doesn’t generate revenue that can be used to create more routes and fewer stops on each one.
People are not incentivized by free. They’re incentivized by convenience.