"If you're dependent on public transport, it can be taken away from you as leverage."
I have always lived in Czech cities with extensive public transport and I have never heard of this kind of punishment, ever. Neither against communities, nor against people.
Of all the risks, this is probably the most theoretical one.
On the other hand, suspending a driving licence is pretty straightforward and it happens daily, CZ or US. And yes, sometimes it is done for leverage in situations that have nothing to do with road safety. For example, in some jurisdictions, if you don't pay child support, they will suspend your driving licence as a punishment / motivation.
Its common in third world country where I lived as retaliation if voting went to non-establishment candidate. It would work for many social amenities like police station, dispensary, bus route and so on.
Wow, so a mayor can say "from now on, neighbourhood X will have no bus/tram", and the apparatus will comply?
That's really bad.
Technically, I suspect that mayor of Prague could do the same, but the press would eat him alive and his own party colleagues would probably turn on him because of the resulting bad publicity.
I have always lived in Czech cities with extensive public transport and I have never heard of this kind of punishment, ever. Neither against communities, nor against people.
Of all the risks, this is probably the most theoretical one.
On the other hand, suspending a driving licence is pretty straightforward and it happens daily, CZ or US. And yes, sometimes it is done for leverage in situations that have nothing to do with road safety. For example, in some jurisdictions, if you don't pay child support, they will suspend your driving licence as a punishment / motivation.