A Consevative Defense of Mass Transit

The conservative argument against mass transit departs from what conservatives believe. The argument is that no mass transit system is profitable, and therefore mass transit is a failure. Mass transit systems are not profitable because if the fares are raised high enough to make mass transit profitable, ridership would decline, so the conservatives say.

If those who ride mass transit are paying less than the cost of riding, is that not a tax refund or tax cut for riders? Are conservatives not the biggest proponents of low taxes?. But beyond the tax refund, mass transit has some social benefits in that it does reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which in turn leads to less congestion, and less congestion increases productivity. Where is the negative in mass transit?