[sustran] Public transport type and ownership

[Wendell Cox]

>Similarly the ownership doesn't matter too much, so long as the system
>meets the above requirements.I find it helpful to think of ownership in
>these terms:

Want to make sure there is no misconception about my views here. The
critical issue is not ownership, it is the existence of competitive
incentives. Publicly owned operators have competed quite well. But when
either public or private is allowed a monopoly, less value is obtained for
the money.

I believe the best way to inject competition is the London model of
competitive tendering, also referred to as the Scandinavian model. Ridership
has held up, while unit costs have declined almost  market. There are other
ways to inject competion, but without it the some or all of the incremental
beneifts that can be achieved through additional public transport subsidies
are frittered away in higher than necessary unit costs.

Best regards,
Wendell Cox
WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY
International Public Policy, Economics, Labour, Transport & Strategic Planning
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