Once again for the people at the back. The purpose of public transport is to transport the public. Making money from doing so is a secondary purpose at best.
Noone talks about the profitability of the motorway network. So why do we do the same for public transport?
@quixoticgeek 'No-one talks about the profitability of the motorway network.'
We already have one privately owned motorway, the M6 Toll, and many tunnels and bridges that charge tolls. It's more likely this profit obsessed government will authorise more toll roads than make public transport free.
Toll roads & bridges become converted into taxpayer-funded infrastructure for the rich.
The rich get to travel on uncluttered & well-maintained roads, funded by the taxpayer, while the non-wealthy are crowded into toll-free infrastructure.
Tolls tax the taxpayer twice for the same thing.
Once through income or VAT taxes, & again for service fees to use already funded public infrastructure.
Tolls are a tax on workers. It hides the diversion of public ...
1/2
2/2
... funds to the wealthy or the businesses of the wealthy. Like oil drilling subsidies. Or toll management companies.
It hides the fact that the wealthy are evading taxes.
Example:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-port-mann-bridge-toll-puts-pressure-on-pattullo-traffic-1.2488984
Toll revenue never reaches its targets as workers divert to using the "free" bridge.
Vehicles using the toll vs toll-free bridge are noticeably different.
Luxury makes & models on the toll bridge & no traffic jams
Toll-free bridges have 4 hour traffic jams of less expensive vehicles
In France, the Autoroute system was built by the government, and then gifted to the Vinci group when it turned out to be extremely profitable.
Vinci are the assholes that charged me 40e for a 30 minute parking at a public hospital to check someone out
Vinci sucks around 5 billion euros a year that should be government money, or a reduction of 10% on their margins
Quixoticgeek
Phil Thane ✅
Nicole Parsons
Mrs Cloudy
Ludovic Archivist Lagouardette