身边的经济学·社会常识英语30篇（5）
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Why Some Cities Offer Free Public Transit—and What Changes
为什么有些城市提供免费公交？效果如何？
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Free bus rides aim to reduce traffic, cut pollution, and give low-income workers reliable access to jobs and services.免费公交旨在减少交通拥堵、降低污染，并为低收入工作者提供可靠的工作和公共服务出行保障。
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In Luxembourg, free transit began in 2020 and led to a 12% rise in ridership—especially among young adults and part-time workers.卢森堡自2020年起实行免费公共交通，乘客量上升12%，尤以年轻人和兼职人员增长明显。
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But it didn’t cut car use as much as hoped, since many drivers still preferred speed, privacy, or carrying groceries.但私家车使用量降幅未达预期，因许多司机仍看重速度、隐私或携带物品的便利性。
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Cities fund free transit through higher business taxes, parking fees, or redirected fuel-tax revenue—not general budgets alone.城市通过提高商业税、收取停车费或重新分配燃油税收入来资助免费公交，而非仅依赖一般财政预算。
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Maintenance costs stay the same, so service quality depends on whether funding grows faster than passenger numbers.维护成本不变，因此服务质量取决于资金增速是否快于乘客数量增长。
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Some riders report feeling safer and more valued; others say buses got too crowded during rush hour.部分乘客表示感到更安全、更受重视；也有人抱怨高峰时段公交车过于拥挤。
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Free passes also helped schools track attendance better, as students used ID-linked cards to board every day.免费乘车卡还帮助学校更精准地追踪学生出勤情况，因学生每日刷身份证关联卡片上车。
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It’s not magic—but one tool among many that works best when paired with bike lanes, better schedules, and safe stops.它并非万能解药，而是众多措施之一，唯有与自行车道、优化班次及安全候车点协同实施，效果才最佳。