The problem with relying on government subsidy--for anything, really, not just for transit--is probably best explained as a variety of induced demand
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government pays for a service so that end users don't have to pay the full cost -> end users start using the service more than they otherwise would -> existing subsidy proves insufficient -> "raise taxes!"
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this pattern is part of the reason that roads are in poor condition (lmfao if you think the gas tax covers the cost of maintaining--let alone expanding--our road network)
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there is a broader level in which induced demand is at play too--when gov actually overcomes people's reluctance to pay taxes and manages to raise them, new programs pop up to make use of new revenue
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There will always be things which lose money but are deemed social necessities--we can't just stop paying for them, even if they never pay for themselves. But paying for things which lose money relies on OTHER things MAKING money...
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...which is why it's essential for any program with its own revenue source (like transit wrt fares) to maximize that revenue source, and use as little subsidy as possible--best case scenario is for it to turn a profit, so it can contribute to subsidies for OTHER things
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Every dollar of transit operating cost that's paid for by transit fares is a dollar which doesn't need to come from the state, and can therefore go to other programs that are less capable of generating their own revenue...
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...moreover, this is the case even when transit is still state-operated. You don't need to be privatized to seek a profit!
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"Privatization vs Nationalization" is a misleading dichotomy--the one that matters is "are we trying to be solvent or not?"
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