[sustran] confusion over terminology

[Eric Bruun]

"transit" means the same as "urban public transportation" or 
"public transportation" or "public transport"

"jitney" means any of a variety of smaller privately operated
for-hire vehicles, often having specific names like "jeepney"
in Manila.

But the biggest item needing clarification is profit from being
a contract operator versus profit from a system that the operator
designs itself. Some of us have been talking about one, other
people about the other.  
 
I dare to say that most of us are not against an operator making a 
profit because they perform contract operations well, especially 
if they save the public more from contracting out than the profit 
they earn. The real controversies are over 1) should service 
offerings be decided by a for-profit operator? (based on the UK
experience, I again venture to say most of us say no, at least in 
rich countries).  The bigger controversy is over 2) should
capital investments, as Prof. Whitelegg points out, referred to as
subsidies by opponents, be provided as a grant by government, or 
should only those that can make an adequate return on investment to
private operators be made?

Eric Bruun