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[quote user="Phoebe Vet"] Very few government provided services make a profit or break even, and many government provided services serve only a small segment of the population.  I don't see why the transit services should be expected to be self supporting.  [/quote]Governments should not subsidize any activity that could stand on its own or be provided by private enterprise.  I have long opposed subsidies to sports teams, concert halls, etc., although I have been a symphony patron for years.  The patrons should pay for these activities. I don't have a problem with underwriting public transit.  It makes it possible for poor people, as well as some middle class people, to get around urban areas more efficiently and effectively.  If Dallas or Austin, as examples, did not have bus service, many poorer citizens would not be able to work.  They would become wards of the state.  Whether light rail is the best urban transit option is debatable.  Rapid bus technology, in many instances, may be a better option.  Intercity passenger rail services that compete with airlines and bus companies should not be subsidized.  They should stand on their own.  Or at least the seat mile subsidy should not be any larger than the subsidy received by the airlines or bus companies.  By the same token, all forms of transport subsidies should be rescinded.  If that happened, we would have a more rational transport system.
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