The question during, and even before, the pandemic was whether declining ridership would force public transit agencies into a self-perpetuating "death spiral" of fare hikes, service cuts, and fleeing riders.
To stave off this disaster scenario, the federal government showered transit agencies with nearly $70 billion in operating subsidies during COVID-19. But rather than giving agencies the needed breathing room to claw out of their death spirals, this money appears to have encouraged big city transit agencies and transit-boosting politicians to run headlong into the next one by abolishing fares.
