5 ms·

The conductor wages over the system as a whole are a large part of operating costs. Another issue you can have is a lack of conductors, which is a big issue in

The conductor wages over the system as a whole are a large part of operating costs. Another issue you can have is a lack of conductors, which is a big issue in the Netherlands apparently.

ggm 2y ago
More to the point, staffing isn't setting the price of transport, it's subsidised almost everywhere. Sure. It's a cost. The cost:benefit here is more than just apparent budget impact because public transport is a utility function.
- Rendello 2y ago
  I don't disagree. One thing that RMTransit on Youtube talks a lot about is that transit is a lot more expensive to build in the Anglosphere of the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia, and so despite these countries investing a lot of money into it recently, there's an order of magnitude less return on investment than similar projects happening in the rest of Europe and Asia. Return on investment not being profit for the transit system, but moreso a more extensive, faster network for riders.
  - ggm 2y ago
    I used scotrail for the first time in years as a casual return visitor to the UK from Oz. It was ok and on time and clean, and the QR code on/off experience was fine but the confusion of choices trying to book.. complete nightmare. Privatisation has only partially been unwound and multi app multi provider timetable and ticket exposure to casual users is away with the bees.
- blibble 2y ago
  if you look at the accounts/statistics: staff is the majority of the cost the official figures here are however misleaading as their "staff" numbers only include those directly employed by TOCs and Network Rail under "other" there's the vast army of contractors, including cleaning staff, track maintenance contractors, train maintenance contractors, private security, and so on what's left is fuel, interest payments, depreciation, premium payments to government and some capital expenditure (not much...)

The conductor wages over the system as a whole are a large part of operating costs. Another issue you can have is a lack of conductors, which is a big issue in the Netherlands apparently.

ggm 2y ago

More to the point, staffing isn't setting the price of transport, it's subsidised almost everywhere. Sure. It's a cost. The cost:benefit here is more than just apparent budget impact because public transport is a utility function.

Rendello 2y ago
I don't disagree. One thing that RMTransit on Youtube talks a lot about is that transit is a lot more expensive to build in the Anglosphere of the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia, and so despite these countries investing a lot of money into it recently, there's an order of magnitude less return on investment than similar projects happening in the rest of Europe and Asia. Return on investment not being profit for the transit system, but moreso a more extensive, faster network for riders.
- ggm 2y ago
  I used scotrail for the first time in years as a casual return visitor to the UK from Oz. It was ok and on time and clean, and the QR code on/off experience was fine but the confusion of choices trying to book.. complete nightmare. Privatisation has only partially been unwound and multi app multi provider timetable and ticket exposure to casual users is away with the bees.
blibble 2y ago
if you look at the accounts/statistics: staff is the majority of the cost the official figures here are however misleaading as their "staff" numbers only include those directly employed by TOCs and Network Rail under "other" there's the vast army of contractors, including cleaning staff, track maintenance contractors, train maintenance contractors, private security, and so on what's left is fuel, interest payments, depreciation, premium payments to government and some capital expenditure (not much...)