http://mises.org/community/forums/5.aspxenCommunityServer 2008.5 SP2 (Build: 40407.4157)http://mises.org/community/forums/thread/504955.aspxMon, 19 Nov 2012 01:23:10 GMT944abf2b-d1be-4bf2-990d-438cb0e377e9:504955Aristippus0http://mises.org/community/forums/thread/504955.aspxhttp://mises.org/community/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=5&PostID=504955<p> Lived in that city all my life.&nbsp; Yes, &#39;privatisation&#39; just means contracting the monopoly out, it doesn&#39;t mean the lack of a monopoly.&nbsp; It really has nothing to do with free market transportation.&nbsp; In Melbourne there is the typical state control over trams, trains, taxis, buses.&nbsp; The last is probably the most free, since there is scope for competing companies, but I&#39;m pretty sure they still need to comply with everything the state wants them to, which inhibits competition.&nbsp; Trains are too big to fail and receive large subsidies.&nbsp; If the train operating company goes bust, they simply contract with a new one.</p> <p> All public transport in Melbourne is linked with a &#39;myki&#39; card, so all types are essentially part of the one monopoly.&nbsp; Installing myki cost over $1.5 billion, is still not properly finished, and isn&#39;t really cheaper or that much more efficient than the previous system.&nbsp; But it&#39;s a free lunch, right?</p> <p> EDIT:&nbsp; Also, I should add that it&#39;s all terrible.&nbsp; Trains run very infrequently, are often cancelled or delayed.&nbsp; At peak times they are ridiculously packed.&nbsp; The roads are congested beyond belief with pot-holes a-plenty.&nbsp; The trend of poor public and private transport (aside from lack of competition) is probably due to increased population rather than from privatisation, which couldn&#39;t really change much.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>http://mises.org/community/forums/thread/504952.aspxMon, 19 Nov 2012 01:16:08 GMT944abf2b-d1be-4bf2-990d-438cb0e377e9:504952FlyingAxe0http://mises.org/community/forums/thread/504952.aspxhttp://mises.org/community/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=5&PostID=504952<p> <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Does anyone know of the situation of the public transport in Australia?</span></p> <p> <span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I was involved in a conversation with someone on Quora, where he said that in his experience, privatization of public transport made things worse. I asked him where he lives; he answered: &quot;</span><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:17.91666603088379px;">Melbourne, Australia - we&#39;ve had privately run trains and trams for over a decade now and if anything services have gone backwards. We even had a time when trains were run by three separate companies - that didn&#39;t last long.&quot;</span></p> <p> <br /> <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:13px;line-height:17.91666603088379px;">All of this sounds like there is the typical crony-capitalism, with the government somehow helping a few companies to get ahead. Especially with railed transport. But, I was wondering if anyone had better information.</span></span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>