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Appropriate-Bed-8413 t1_jedcfg1 wrote

What a pile of semantical excrement.

Nobody is confused by the common usage of “public good,” regardless of the purely academic textbook definition the author cites.

By any commonly understood meaning of the concept, public transit fits as a public good. Particularly when compared to the competing source for public investment and public space usage — roads.

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lc1138 OP t1_jecnfer wrote

To be clear, I think this article is bs. Since when is public transit not a public good???

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GraceStrangerThanYou t1_jed2g51 wrote

Well, it's Bloomberg so I assume it's because rich people don't use it and can't be arsed to realize that it allows the poors to travel to work. And if they did think about it, they'd just expect the moochers riding transit to buy cars with their fancy coffee and avocado toast budgets.

Because the wealthy fucks that take Bloomberg seriously are delusional, out of touch wankers.

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churner-burner t1_jeg0cej wrote

Since it's rivalrous (no one can sit in your seat while you're in it) and excludable (they can exclude non payers if they choose).

That means it doesn't not meet the criteria of a public good.

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Disused_Yeti t1_jeclsng wrote

‘Poor people have it too good’

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vtsandtrooper t1_jee55qk wrote

“Roads are great buts it not a public good.”

See how dumb that is?

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rolo-lolo t1_jeensym wrote

The article also says roads aren’t a public good since they don’t meet the two conditions for them to be considered such.

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vtsandtrooper t1_jeercu4 wrote

Neat, lets start by tolling per mile every road. I live in a city and can walk wherever I want, good luck libertarians in Utah who live 40 miles from everything

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Kief- t1_jed9qjj wrote

Public good is a widely used economics term that refers to a good such that, once provided, the good is 1) non-rivalrous and 2) non-excludable. By this definition transit is not a public good.

Non-rivalrous basically means “your use doesn’t affect my use.” Crowding out can occur very easily in transit so it’s rivalrous.

Non-excludable basically means no one can prevent you from accessing it. We install payment systems at the entrance so we do exclude people.

Textbook examples of public goods include national defense and clean air. Public transit should be well supported and financed, but they’re right it doesn’t meet the definition.

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rolo-lolo t1_jeeo4ky wrote

And it should be financed via fiscal support from the state and fees paid by users.

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