Every morning, as my partner and I wait for the bus, we watch hundreds of near-empty cars pass us by. Beyond the obvious environmental toll of massive metal machines burning fuel to transport a single person, this is a staggering inefficiency. Our roads are clogged with solitary drivers while we stand at the curb waiting for a bus that is often delayed or too crowded to board.
The irony of it all is that most of these cars are likely headed to the same place. Capitalism has funneled economic activity into dense urban hubs, yet it has failed to provide viable alternatives to the personal automobile. But we can barely blame drivers. When public transit is underfunded and unreliable, the “choice” between sitting in traffic or risking late arrivals due to delayed buses is no choice at all. Either way, ordinary people pay the price for a system that prioritizes the private profits pocketed by car manufacturers over investing in efficient, accessible mobility.
If we want public transportation that’s fast, frequent, and affordable, we need to nationalize our transit systems and put them at the service of the many, not the few.
-Nadia C., Toronto
