A Proposal: Free Buses and Trains for Students

Full script

Read the whole talk.

All slides in one place. Read it through once, then practice slide by slide.

1. 01A Proposal: Free Buses and Trains for Students

   Good evening, members of the city council. I'm here to make a proposal on behalf of the students in our city: let's make buses and trains free for everyone under twenty.

   各位市议会议员，晚上好。我今天代表我们城市的学生来提出一个建议：让所有二十岁以下的人免费乘坐公交车和火车。

2. 02The Problem

   Here's the problem. For many families, the cost of daily travel adds up quickly. As a result, some students skip after-school activities, or can't reach the library or a part-time job.

   问题是这样的。对很多家庭来说，每天的交通费很快就会累积起来。结果，有些学生放弃了课外活动，或者没办法去图书馆、去打工。

3. 03It Has Been Done Before

   This isn't a crazy idea. In 2020, Luxembourg made all public transport free for everyone in the country. Our proposal is much smaller: we're only asking for students.

   这并不是异想天开。2020年，卢森堡让全国所有人都可以免费乘坐公共交通。我们的提议规模小得多：我们只为学生争取。

   Source: Government of Luxembourg, free public transport (2020)

4. 04The Benefits

   The benefits go beyond saving money. Every student gets the same chance to join activities. Parents drive less, so there's less traffic. And young people who get used to public transport are likely to keep using it as adults.

   好处不只是省钱。每个学生都能获得参加活动的同等机会。家长开车少了，交通也就不那么拥堵了。而且，习惯了公共交通的年轻人，长大后很可能会继续使用它。

5. 05"But Who Will Pay?"

   I know what you're thinking: who will pay for it? It's a fair question. The city would lose some ticket income. One option is to cover part of it with higher parking fees in the city center, which would also encourage fewer cars.

   我知道大家在想什么：谁来出这笔钱？这是个合理的问题。市里会损失一部分票务收入。一个办法是提高市中心的停车费来弥补一部分，这样也能鼓励大家少开车。

6. 06"Won't Buses Get Too Crowded?"

   Another concern is crowding. That's why we suggest checking passenger numbers on busy routes and adding buses where they are needed.

   另一个担心是拥挤。所以我们建议统计繁忙线路的乘客人数，在需要的地方增加公交车。

7. 07A Realistic First Step

   We're not asking you to change everything at once. We propose a one-year trial. We can measure how many students use it and how traffic changes, and then decide together.

   我们并不是要求大家一下子改变所有的事情。我们建议先试行一年。我们可以统计有多少学生在使用，交通状况有什么变化，然后再一起做决定。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, free transport for students is fair, good for the city, and possible. All we ask is a one-year trial. Thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

   最后，为学生提供免费交通是公平的、对城市有益的，也是可行的。我们只请求试行一年。感谢各位抽出时间，我很乐意回答大家的问题。