Free bus system means more riders

Isn’t progress grand? The railroad overpass was recently opened and the state is working like mad to get the Mukilteo Speedway roadbed finished, and power poles moved to the new right-of-way width. Other areas where roads are in work are showing fewer barrels obstructing. If we keep moving forward, we will have enough new roads to last for at least five years.

Now, if we can just make the decision to furnish bus service to all people who would ride a bus if it were available, we would have made real progress. How about if all bus service was free? To stop and say that bus service does not pay for itself, is to stop. I never heard anybody who has really looked at any municipal service say it could pay for itself. Never has, never will. Whatever fee is collected from bus riders at this time is insignificant compared to what it really costs to operate the buses. The present system discourages everybody who would ride a bus for convenience. There is no convenience unless you are structured into your daily schedule to the degree that you can afford one trip to work and one trip from work each day. While this is a service, it is a minimum effort – one which will become increasingly expensive serving a minimum of customers.

A bus system would serve all neighborhoods, all day. Service all day means that if you wanted to run an errand, you could catch a bus any time within 20 minutes each way you might need to go, and the car would stay in the garage. You could save gas, save money, save your nerves and save the environment.

Even if the automobile you drive becomes environmentally friendly, we are facing a glut of traffic on all roadways for as long as we have – or can get – gasoline. Even if we all were to drive solar powered vehicles, there will be roads and roads and roads necessary to get from here to there.

Let’s ride a free bus system.

Mukilteo

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, Feb. 10

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Comment: Trump can go only as far as the courts will allow

Most of Trump’s executive orders are likely to face court challenges, setting the limits of presidential power.

Comment: Civil service needs reform; Trump means only to gut it

It’s too difficult to hire and fire federal workers. A grand bargain is possible, but that’s not what Trump seeks.

Saunders: U.S. Iron Dome isn’t feasible now, but it could be

Trump is correct to order a plan for a system that would protect the nation from missile strikes.

Harrop: Trump has no sense of damage from tariff threats

Even if ultimately averted, a trade war with Canada and Mexico could drive both from U.S. exports.

A young man carries water past the destroyed buildings of a neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, Feb. 2, 2025. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and transfer its population elsewhere has stirred condemnation and sarcasm, but it addresses a real and serious challenge: the future of Gaza as a secure, peaceful, even prosperous place. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)
Comment: ‘Homeland’ means exactly that to Gazans

Palestinians have long resisted resettlement. Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza changes nothing.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, Feb. 9

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Rent stabilization can keep more from losing homes

Thank you to The Herald Editorial Board for its editorial, regarding rent… Continue reading

Don’t pamper young criminals with lenient sentences

I want to give a shout out to Todd Welch for his… Continue reading

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.