Fares are user fees, they protect the subsidized, for-profit, oil-auto-sprawl axis

“It’s not just the cost, it’s the waiting,” Gray said. “Nothing is changing, so why are we paying more?” Some of her neighbors bought cars, she said, figuring that if transportation was going to be expensive, at least it could be reliable, too. huffpost.com 

The above statement is more powerful than all the "studies" of the planning "experts." The purpose of user-fees [fares] is to ration use. The higher the fare, the less the use. They keep you in a car.

And below. This paragraph destroys the trolls' current best argument. Trolls tell us to try to make public transit better before making it fare-free. That would consign us to 100 more years of lobbying.

It’s a move that Gray and other local advocates believe will not only ease the financial burden on riders but also increase the number of people who choose to take transit, ultimately touching off a virtuous cycle that will lead to better bus service and fewer cars on the road.