Friday, July 07, 2006

Public transport.

Public transport.

I have to wonder do people who continually advocate the need for public transport actually use public transport. I do and I have to say it is an absolutely shambolic service filled with atrocious dedication to service.

The timetable is for all intensive purposes a suggestion. Three days this week I took buses across Limerick site in the evening. It in evolved getting connecting bus. So every bus is suppose to arrive at the bus stop every ten minutes. 4 times the bus I was waiting over 30 minutes for a bus. The other 2 times I was waiting 20 minutes. Statistically the average wait for a bus every ten minutes is 5 minutes.

A private bus company would never run that kind of timetable. Because simply it would not stay in business treating its customers like crap. But because we have a state system in Ireland where quality of service is secondary to union agreements we have the majority of people travelling in cars.

Because of this. Bus Eireann know the people who need the bus don’t matter as they have no choice but to wait 30 minutes for the bus because they don’t have cars. So what do they do. They arrive 30 minutes late arrive with a smelly, badly kept bus and pile people on and over charge them for the privilege. Why offer competitive pricing when you have customers who are forced to take the service.

Yet again the remnants of socialism punishes the week the people who can’t afford a car (or waiting for the test). And the only solution to help the poor privatisation of Bus Eireann is not considered as privatisation is considered a bad word by the car driving class.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A private company that had exclusive rights to a route would treat its customers the same way. Where would the customers take their business?

The problem is a lack of competition along each route or a lack of a regulatory threat to remove a licence to ply a route from a recalcitrant operator.

This notion that private companies treat their customers well is bullshit.

Simon said...

where did I say exclusive rights?