Free Public Transit for Everyone

The task

Do you think public transit, such as buses and subways, should be free for everyone in Canadian cities?

• Decide yes or no and give your opinion.
• Explain your reasons.

Original CELPIP-style practice question, not an official CELPIP test item. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises. The CLB level of each sample answer was reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. It is not an official CELPIP score.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking time

90 seconds

Question

5 of 10

No, I don't agree it should be free for all. Who will pay, right? If people don't buy the ticket, the money come from the taxes, and our taxes are too high. And for me the price is not the real problem. In my area the bus comes every thirty minutes, and late a lot. So people take the car, me too, because is faster. If the city makes it free and the bus is still bad... people will drive anyway. Kids or old people, maybe for them free is okay, they don't have much money. But for everyone? No. I think the city should fix the buses first.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: two plain reasons (cost, poor service) with a general local example; the ending adds a simple suggestion.
• Vocabulary: basic words; "the real problem" and "fix the buses" are clear but general.
• Listenability: a trailing pause ("still bad... people will drive"), a missing subject ("because is faster") and an agreement slip ("the money come"); still easy to follow.
• Task Fulfillment: a clear no that stays on the question.

Yes, I think it should be free, and I think the benefits would outweigh the cost. First, it would take cars off the road. My brother and his wife both work downtown, and they drive in together every day, because two return fares cost them about the same as parking. If the bus were free, they'd switch tomorrow, and I suspect half their office would too. Second, it's a question of fairness. In my experience, the people who rely on buses most are working late shifts in restaurants or cleaning offices, so a fare takes a bigger bite out of their pay. And third, it would make the whole system simpler. No fare machines, no arguments with drivers, no fines for a transfer that expired five minutes ago, and buses would load faster at every stop. Obviously, the money has to come from somewhere, and we might all pay a bit more to the city. Still, I'd rather do that than sit in traffic every morning.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: three developed reasons, a specific example (the brother and his wife, who drive because two fares cost as much as parking) and a short counterpoint about cost.
• Vocabulary: "outweigh the cost", "takes a bigger bite out of their pay" and "rely on" are accurate and natural.
• Listenability: the quick list ("No fare machines, no arguments with drivers") speeds up the rhythm before the slower closing point.
• Task Fulfillment: a clear yes, kept to the end.

No, I don't think it should. I'm closer to yes than that might sound, though. The appeal of free transit is obvious: no barrier at all, and nobody has to prove they qualify. I can see why people like it. But I think it spends money in the wrong place. When I lived in Edmonton, my bus came every half hour at best, and what kept people in their cars wasn't the fare; it was standing in the cold for a bus that might not come. I gave up and bought a used car after one winter. A free bus that comes twice an hour is still a bus most people won't take. So if a city has extra money for transit, I'd put it into more frequent service first, and then make it free for the people most affected by cost, like students and anyone on income assistance. I think that gets most of the fairness for much less money, and it fixes what riders actually complain about.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: concedes the appeal, then argues that frequency matters more, with a precise example ("When I lived in Edmonton").
• Vocabulary: "the appeal", "prove they qualify" and "income assistance" are precise.
• Listenability: the contrast "A free bus that comes twice an hour is still a bus most people won't take" restates the main point in plain words.
• Task Fulfillment: a flat no in the first sentence, held to the end, with a practical alternative.