They're not "unreasonably cheap" though, in many places.
Given that the cost of owning a car is sunk, it's cheaper for me to drive to town and pay for parking, than it is to use the bus.
Warwick/Leamington, UK
Currently there's a £2 cap on single fares. So £4 return.
2 hours of multi-storey parking in Leamington is £2.60.
Next year the cap rises to £3 single, and then £5.80 DayRider tickets become viable again.
Family of 2 adults + 1 child:
£12 vs £2.60
Next year, £15.90 vs £2.60
Ah, okay, cheers. Guess it really does add up when you consider more than one person. As an anti-social hermit that's not something I usually have to do :P
Public transport is vital infrastructure that facilities other areas of the economy. Subsidies would mean that the bus companies wouldn't have to worry about making money. Some things are worth doing for reasons other than profit.
There's the story of Giuliani (yes him!) making the Staten Island Ferry free. Manhattan needed all those key workers in order to function, and going ticketless allowed the crossings to be much more frequent.
Free buses - and much more extensive routes and schedules - should be welcomed by people who genuinely love driving as it would have a massively positive effect on congestion and road safety.
Comments
Given that the cost of owning a car is sunk, it's cheaper for me to drive to town and pay for parking, than it is to use the bus.
Currently there's a £2 cap on single fares. So £4 return.
2 hours of multi-storey parking in Leamington is £2.60.
Next year the cap rises to £3 single, and then £5.80 DayRider tickets become viable again.
Family of 2 adults + 1 child:
£12 vs £2.60
Next year, £15.90 vs £2.60
If you wonder why bus companies can't make money, take a look at see how many paying passengers are onboard, and how man ride for free...
What works in a city with lots of funding, doesn't work in a rural setting where the only passengers are the elderly riding for free.
Not sure what the funding models are though.