桃園免費公車之擴散與延續：2001-2014

The Diffusion and Continuation of Free Public Buses in Taoyuan County: 2001-2014

近年來，臺灣的地方政府亟欲透過升格、改制以追求資源最大化。但在當前財政資源普遍有限的束縛下，如何審慎考量公共服務的廣度與深度，運用相對有限的資源，提供最佳與最適的公共服務，以獲得民眾的信任與支持，此乃當前各級地方政府極力深思的任務。本文透過桃園境內免費公車的起源、發展與演變過程，討論地方公共服務的走向；或易言之，從新公共管理到新公共服務的轉折，地方政府選擇的理由為何？文章從公共服務的角度出發，首先探討免費公車的意涵，其次簡介桃園縣各鄉鎮市免費公車的實施狀況，然後針對桃園縣內此項服務發源地桃園市[區]民代表的質詢提案中理解免費公車的流變，進而指出地方政府使用「社會福利」預算支出辦理免費公車，而非從區域與交通規劃角度著手顯有不當。最後提出當桃園縣升格為直轄市之後，對於免費公車的規劃與其對公共服務的影響，基本上，作者建議應以「排除免費公車存在的條件」為努力目標。

This paper evaluates free public buses in 10 villages and towns of Taoyuan County from the perspective of new public services. It discusses the meaning of free public buses, and the rationale for local government to set up such a service. Through the interpellation from the Taoyuan city council, as well as the programming of free public buses within Taoyuan County, the aim of this paper is to assess the diffusion of this policy within Taoyuan County as well as the continuity of this policy when Taoyuan County became a special Municipality at the end of 2014. The authors argue that this policy should eventually be abolished as citizens should learn the concept of willingness to pay for public transportation.