I’m going to be awkward, and argue both sides of the “no fares” idea.
First of all, there’s this that I’ve linked before.
But while that’s a great end goal, going fares free is just one tool in getting people to take public transit, and it might not be the best next step for every city right now. Sadly, public transit is constrained by politics- the local transit agency is going to have to fight for budget with every other service, and the best way to get more people using transit in many places is to push for better coverage, better frequency of service, and investment in higher-order transit (rails rather than buses, and higher speed and capacity).
Fare discounts or free transit works best when there’s already a good, robust service, and you just need to drive ridership. Sadly, in most of the Anglo-American world at the moment (outside a few particularly well-served cities), we’re far from having the network we need right now.
In short- build it, and they will come. More of them will come if it’s free.
