<html><head><style type="text/css"></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to everyone, this thread has been highly stimulating and educating for me. <br><br><span>I hope not to distract the discussion but just chance upon this article (<a target="_blank" href="http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/07/05/NoFares1/">http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/07/05/NoFares1/</a>) which make a interesting connection back to the current discussion of banning cheap cars. What can be more compelling than "cheap car"? What if instead of banning "cheap car", there is someone offering free & good public buses in Mumbai? </span><br>To go all the ay, perhaps it can be a profitable business model to offer this service for free in exchange of an opportunity to be in touch with the mass. Like JCDecaux sponsor street furniture, or Google offer excellent free search engine for the world, both to capture a critical "touch point' with the mass. <br>In Singapore, there are several "free" bus routes linking large shopping malls and MRT stations. Mentioned in the article, high quality free bus service in Hasselt, Belgium has been expended 500% since it started in 1996 and now has a ridership close to 4 Millions.<br><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div><br>-------------------------------------------------------- <br>IMPORTANT NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS. <br><br>Please go to <a target="_blank" href="http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss">http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss</a> to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. The yahoogroups version is only a mirror and 'members' there cannot post to the real sustran-discuss (even if the yahoogroups site makes it seem like you can). Apologies for the confusing arrangement.<br><br>================================================================<br>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). <br></div></div><br></div></div></body></html>