There is an ongoing debate that public transport should be entirely funded by the government and made free for users. I totally disagree with this statement. I believe, making public transport free is not financially sustainable and lead to decline service quality.
To begin with, public transport are not cheap, because, it requires constant investment in infrastructure, vehicle fuel for transport, and costs, if government cover this expenditure, it may cause major burden on taxpayers. This could lead to cuts other crucial services such as, healthcare, education. It is more reasonable to users to pay a part of this service regularly.
Secondly, when something free, people may not value it as much. Free public transport could lead to overcrowding, misuse, and even vandalism. Without revenue from fares, it becomes harder to improve quality of services. However, when passenger pat amount of this money, it helps ensure a better experience, cleaner vehicles, and more reliable schedule.
Moreover, not everyone offers public transportation, nowadays a lot of people prefer to use private modes, or they rely on walk for work. It would be unfair to be expect all taxpayers, and who do not use them did not have any benefits. Solution for this would be to offer subsides for those who truly need financial assistance, namely students, retailers, and who work in application and make low income.
In conclusion, the best that government can do it balance where users contribute to the cost and they provide extra payment who need this.