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I'll be taking my first ride on Capital Metro Rail next week.  I am looking forward to it.  The ride will be sweeter because I am a senior and, therefore, will be able to ride for free.  Actually, a lot of people will be able to ride for free.  Why? According to Capital Metro's webpage, seniors, disabled persons, UT students, faculty, and staff, police and fire persons, as well as military personnel in uniform, can ride for free.  Is there really an economic justification for this policy?  A significant percentage of seniors in this area, for example, have as much or more income than before they retired.  They could easily afford to pay the fare.  The same applies to most UT faculty and administrative personnel.  Austin police and firefighters are amongst the highest paid police and firefighters in Texas; they too could pay the fare. For a project that has cost nearly double the original estimate, as well as one that will chew up a significant percentage of Capital Metro's operating budget, Capital Metro should be doing everything reasonable to recover the operating costs for the rail system from the fare box.  Giving a lot of people who could pay for the ride a free pass, largely for traditional or sentimental reasons, may be good politics, but it is not good economics.  And it is not fair to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill for a system that will be used by a miniscule percentage of the local population.
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