Show me the money

Commenting on the story: “Uncomfortable” ride ahead for Adelaide public transport: Knoll

Stephan Knoll’s obsession with trying to save pitifully small amounts of money by extracting it from weekend services, thus affecting those that can least afford it, shows that he appears to know nothing about transport economic modelling.

The only thing I cannot be sure of is whether his senior staff know any more than he does.

At this point in an argument I would put my facts on the table. However, in order to actually find out how much Stephan Knoll and his senior advisors know on the subject I am asking them to tell readers the three major components which go towards determining gross public transport cost.

Once you understand how transport deficits are generated, you can make some intelligent decisions on how to reduce them.

You don’t have to waste taxpayer money scouring the world in order to identify the benefits or disbenefits of privatisation.

In order to help the Minister with my question above, privatisation doesn’t rate.

In terms of disappointments from successive Labor Party ministers in this portfolio, they currently vastly outscore the current minister. Disappointment after disappointment.

For readers, in terms of the financial prize at stake which is available as savings to the suffering taxpayer, I guesstimate it at $50m per annum with no appreciable cuts to services or the privatisation of the tram and train workforce. – Geoff Moore

I’m getting good at picking lies and deceit from a distance.

Is it ideology or lack of finance? I expect the former, as the government can make as least as much profit as a independent contractor.

What the public needs is an independent adjudicator who has access to the relevant facts and doesn’t hide stuff from the public. – Paul Andrew

Like anybody in Adelaide who lives a carless life and is trying to make that work, the idea that the govt is continuing to downgrade public transport here is distressing.

We have an excellent basis for public transport in Adelaide. If the bus system were to run its services more frequently there would be nothing to complain about.

Instead, in order to save pathetically small amounts of money, we are going to have services taken away on a large scale.

The wonderful thing about buses, apart from the low cost of infrastructure, is their flexibility. They go everywhere.

Anybody who bothers to look into it will see that the system is great. Increased frequency of service would make it a total winner. 

And make it free? Yes! If it were, the economic, social and environmental returns would be massive. – Cathy Chua

I cannot believe the State Government is considering privatising rail public transport.

Look no further than New Zealand. A right-wing government did that and the buyer stripped it of its assets and ran it into the ground until it was eventually bought back by a Labor government and restored to a now well-functioning system.

When will the right-wingers ever learn? – Carl Cooke

Free is not free

Commenting on the story: State Govt set to hike cost of Footy Express: AFL

It’s a wonderful idea to have free transport for football games etc, but it is something most people who like the game enough would pay to attend all the same.

They’ve been lucky to have a free bus service for so long, really. One has to pay one’s dues. – Judy Melbourne

Faction friction

Commenting on the story: SA factional fallout as Left stalwart defects

Why are there factions at all in the Labor Party?

Surely the ultimate display of party unity is to have no factions.

That the person nominated for each electorate is determined according to which faction he or she belongs to, rather than the wish of party members of the electorate, is but one more nail in the coffin of democracy. – Bill Hollingworth

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