Consider looking at private providers for transit

Intercity transit is asking the voters to increase taxes to support their agency.

It would help to know if the agency was doing its job if we had an idea as to the number of seat miles driven versus passenger miles by route and time and day. It would also help to know what percentage of operating costs do the fares cover and the miles per gallon used for the coach vehicles.

Many major cities worldwide have private companies operating their urban transit systems from Curitiba, Brazil, where the idea of bus transit was born, to Gothenburg, Sweden and Melbourne, Australia where over 30 companies operate in that huge city.

A study from the international consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting looked at the benefits of private companies providing transportation services in a number of Australian cities and other cities worldwide. They noted that services provided by private organizations can be delivered more efficiently than government agencies and that the savings are from 20 percent to 55 percent. With their contracts and profits at risk, the private organizations have every reason to be open to innovation and focus on the quality of the customer services.

The ideal situation would be to open the urban transit market to other providers, from mom and pop part timers, to co-ops and corporations.

Working women, especially those who work odd hours, and elderly women would be amongst the biggest beneficiaries of opening the transit market.