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Should Public Transit Be Free? No and the progressive push to eliminate fares will hurt poor and minority riders most.
Public safety
Economy, finance, and budgets
Should public transit be free? Massachusetts representative Ayanna Pressley thinks so. Her Freedom to Move Act offers $5 billion in grants to entice the nation’s transit systems to go fare-free. To qualify for grants, transit agencies would also have to improve safety and quality, particularly in low-income and historically underserved communities. Unfortunately, experience shows that these two goals aren’t always compatible.
A side effect of getting rid of fares is eliminating fare enforcement, which advocates say disproportionally targets black and other minority riders. Thus, the progressives backing Pressley’s bill (and the companion bill introduced by Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey) view fare-free transit as part of a larger social-justice agenda.
More Than 450 Workplaces Named Best Workplaces for Commuters
2021 List Breaks All-time Record
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TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Announcing the 2021 Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) annual list of U.S.-based employers who meet the program s National Standard of Excellence by providing exceptional commuter benefits and collectively changing how nearly four million employees commute to and from work each day.
More than 450 workplaces have been named in 2021, a notable increase from last year s list. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have shifted their employee populations to working remotely; BWC recognizes telework as a key benefit of a successful employee commuter benefits package, helping increase program adoption nationally. To support employers and employees making the remote-work transition, BWC launched an online Telework Certificate program and provided webinars and educational tools to help tr