People like free stuff until you explain that someone has to pay

The Herald reports:

Most Aucklanders support Collins’ free public transport proposal in a survey of 772 Aucklanders conducted by the mayoral candidate and research firm Talbot Mills.

The poll showed 73 per cent support, 7 per cent opposed, 17 per cent neutral and 4 per cent unsure.

Who doesn’t want free public transport? I also want free apple pie and free Internet. If you asked another question, you would get a very different answer. Think if you asked:

“Public transport in Auckland costs $250 million a year. Who should pay for the cost of the trains and buses – ratepayers, motorists or bus/train users” and you would get a different answer.

If you asked “Would you be willing to have your rates bill increase by $500 a year so that bus and train passengers can travel for no charge” you would get a different answer.

The most useful question (and the one I would ask) would be along the lines of “There are three broad sources of revenue for public transports – fares from transport users, rates from ratepayers and petrol tax from motorists, what proportion of the $250 million a year to run public transport in Auckland should come from each”.