| You can hardly call a flat $2 fare a "progressive tax scheme". that's stretching the definition past its breaking point.
You are not getting charged more because you make more money. you are getting charged the same amount no matter who you are or where you're going. If that isn't the definition of equitable I don't know what is.
There is nothing in the definition of "public service" that should force them to create an onerous system that charges differentially based on factors such as distance or timing. The fact that DC does that is, in my view, a waste of money in building the system and monitoring it, and a waste of time for all the commuters, not to mention a ludicrous inconvenience if you (say) lose your ticket en route, or if there's a big line somewhere. The fact that the NYC subway system chooses NOT to incrementally harm those who are not fortunate enough to live near the city center (incrementally over the charge that everyone pays) is hardly a sin. |