So What?

The county south of here started a program of giving free bus rides between downtown St Petersburg to St Petersburg Beach last October.

Ostensibly, it was to provide cheap transportation for the guesstimated 40k low income workers along the routes to get to work.

What it's become is a rolling homeless shelter.

Enough of the homeless are staying at the beach end overnight that Pinellas County's Sheriff is spending $10k a week policing them up.

That's a big enough dent in their budget they're delivering ultimatums to the bus agency to start charging fares to cut down on the homeless migrations.

Egalitarian and equity gets mentioned over and over about charging a fare.

My favorite objection to charging a fare is how this will "disproportionately" affect the homeless who a.) don't have any money and b.) since the fares are electronically collected they have no means to pay even if they had the money.

I kinda think that was the point the sheriff was after.  Charging a fare keeps them off the busses and off the beach when its closed.