I have not but heard good things about. Guess I’m just a bit jaded after already paying for Windscribe. I have found some janky workarounds, just a bit annoying.
Yes, I also already have a different VPN for the US but since China's firewall is so strict, I was willing to pay for this admittedly somewhat pricey option because it is know to just work (unlike pretty much all the popular US VPNs). I also heard that some international employers in China offer Astrill to their employees. You may want to give it a try!
Despite the challenges another interesting posting!
I think I lean towards free buses/public transit. The “undesirable element” argument doesn’t hold water for me. I don’t currently have access to any public transit but I used San Francisco’s MUNI system almost exclusively for 16 years and that segment of the population was certainly represented in the ridership which I experienced nearly daily. I don’t think having cheap fares will keep those people off the buses nor will it do much for the funding of the system. It’s a sort of betwixt and between solution that doesn’t really solve anything. Of course, making them free for a couple of years and than evaluating all aspects seems to make sense to me.
Thanks! I can see that side of it, too. I could also be swayed I suppose though. It reminds me of the library. They have basically become social services in many places (I may write about this in the future actually). But I would never want us to start charging for library use. So I guess I'm a bit hypocritical here. Anyways, thanks for sharing, something for me to think about!
I think another consideration(s) is the increasing amount of attacks on bus drivers who are responsible for ensuring riders were paying their fares. It was bad over twenty years ago and it’s only gotten worse in this violent, aggressive society. They are not law enforcement. Their job is to get us from one point to another safely.
Although this is focused on the subway system, fare evasion on the NYC subway system is a substantial financing burden but so are all the supposed fare evasion systems that the City has been trying to implement to prevent the problem. Of course fares are extremely important for financing the system but the reality is that with the consistent fare hike has come greatly increased fare evasion. Eliminating fares altogether would resolve this. Perhaps district funding in addition to congestion pricing could replace the fares as a funding source.
Have you tried using the Astrill VPN? That one has been working pretty reliably for me!
I have not but heard good things about. Guess I’m just a bit jaded after already paying for Windscribe. I have found some janky workarounds, just a bit annoying.
Yes, I also already have a different VPN for the US but since China's firewall is so strict, I was willing to pay for this admittedly somewhat pricey option because it is know to just work (unlike pretty much all the popular US VPNs). I also heard that some international employers in China offer Astrill to their employees. You may want to give it a try!
Hello Ryan,
Despite the challenges another interesting posting!
I think I lean towards free buses/public transit. The “undesirable element” argument doesn’t hold water for me. I don’t currently have access to any public transit but I used San Francisco’s MUNI system almost exclusively for 16 years and that segment of the population was certainly represented in the ridership which I experienced nearly daily. I don’t think having cheap fares will keep those people off the buses nor will it do much for the funding of the system. It’s a sort of betwixt and between solution that doesn’t really solve anything. Of course, making them free for a couple of years and than evaluating all aspects seems to make sense to me.
Safe travels!!
Thanks! I can see that side of it, too. I could also be swayed I suppose though. It reminds me of the library. They have basically become social services in many places (I may write about this in the future actually). But I would never want us to start charging for library use. So I guess I'm a bit hypocritical here. Anyways, thanks for sharing, something for me to think about!
I think another consideration(s) is the increasing amount of attacks on bus drivers who are responsible for ensuring riders were paying their fares. It was bad over twenty years ago and it’s only gotten worse in this violent, aggressive society. They are not law enforcement. Their job is to get us from one point to another safely.
Although this is focused on the subway system, fare evasion on the NYC subway system is a substantial financing burden but so are all the supposed fare evasion systems that the City has been trying to implement to prevent the problem. Of course fares are extremely important for financing the system but the reality is that with the consistent fare hike has come greatly increased fare evasion. Eliminating fares altogether would resolve this. Perhaps district funding in addition to congestion pricing could replace the fares as a funding source.
Thank you for letting me beat a dead horse!!
Safe travels.