Re:Estonia plans to become a free public transport nation
by rayiner on Saturday May 19, 2018 @07:51PM
(#17110383)
> Why would bus drivers "clock out".
Because they're lazy and irresponsible. But its impossible to fire them because of the public unions.
> And why is competition necessary?
Because at least a private company can go out of business and be replaced by something else.
> The government here runs the tube (TfL)
TfL is run in a much more "corporate" manner than public transit in the U.S. For example, it covers almost 100% of its operating costs, while U.S. transit systems are massive black holes for tax money.
I think one of the things that Europeans don't realize is that its not like Americans are choosing between private companies and European-style public services. No public service in the U.S. is run like what I see when I travel to Germany or Japan. The NYC subway and DC subway were historically the two best, and both are currently in a state of meltdown (despite being very well funded systems in overwhelmingly Democratic areas).
Americans choose between the private sector (which leaves a lot of people without service, no doubt), and a rapacious corrupt public sector that spends several times as much money to offer shittier service than what you have in Europe. (E.g. despite running almost identical systems, the NYC Subway spends twice as much per passenger trip as the Tube).
Re:Estonia plans to become a free public transport nation
by jacquesm on Sunday May 20, 2018 @03:27PM
(#17114348)
> I think one of the things that Europeans don't realize is that its not like Americans are choosing between private companies and European-style public services.
Because they're lazy and irresponsible. But its impossible to fire them because of the public unions.
> And why is competition necessary?
Because at least a private company can go out of business and be replaced by something else.
> The government here runs the tube (TfL)
TfL is run in a much more "corporate" manner than public transit in the U.S. For example, it covers almost 100% of its operating costs, while U.S. transit systems are massive black holes for tax money.
I think one of the things that Europeans don't realize is that its not like Americans are choosing between private companies and European-style public services. No public service in the U.S. is run like what I see when I travel to Germany or Japan. The NYC subway and DC subway were historically the two best, and both are currently in a state of meltdown (despite being very well funded systems in overwhelmingly Democratic areas).
Americans choose between the private sector (which leaves a lot of people without service, no doubt), and a rapacious corrupt public sector that spends several times as much money to offer shittier service than what you have in Europe. (E.g. despite running almost identical systems, the NYC Subway spends twice as much per passenger trip as the Tube).