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Yet trains remain very expensive and ticket prices continue to go up. Example: Nice - Marseilles 38€ train - 9€ bus (40min slower)

• perryizgr8 4y ago
  What else would you expect? If you reduce consumer options artificially, the available options will obviously go up in price. Flights exist for a reason.
  • esperent 4y ago
    French rail is mostly state owned and heavily subsidized so I don't think that follows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_France
    • perryizgr8 4y ago
      How does it not follow? Does state ownership and subsidization supersede the fundamental reality of demand and supply?
      • iudqnolq 4y ago
        Yes. By definition price can't be the intersection of supply and demand if there are subsidies. Also Econ 101 isn't "fundamental reality", it's a useful model.
        • perryizgr8 4y ago
          > By definition price can't be the intersection of supply and demand if there are subsidies That's what the government would like to believe. But with incentives perverse enough, the reality of the market starts sneaking into the system in unpredictable ways. For example, if train tickets are extremely subsidized and flight travel is banned, people will start re-selling tickets at a higher price in the black market. > it's a useful model. Yes, it is very useful. And dangerous to think it doesn't apply just because a bureaucrat sitting somewhere in the government apparatus thought it would be a good idea to subsidize trains and ban flights.
  • deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]