Private involvement helps public transportation for Lower Mainland commuters
The Golden Ears Bridge is an example of how private involvement is good for public transportation, says the letter writer.
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The Editor:
Re. “Check record: Translink” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Aug. 26)
TransLink’s Ken Hardie is wrong in his ideas of how the airline industry and the U.K. rail system have been running in the last few years.
Airline deregulation and competition have resulted in lower fares and better service. One of the finest examples of this is in Canada with the rise of WestJet, using new planes, introducing new routes, lowering fares and improving service. The same has happened in Europe with airlines such as Ryanair and in the U.S. with Southwest Airlines. The carriers that “teeter on the brink of financial ruin” are old carriers with old business models that have been unwilling to change.
Mr. Hardie is confused about the British situation. In Britain, the vast majority of rail and bus services are still private. It is only the basic railway network that has been taken back into government control. The railway operating companies, manufacturers and the owners of trains and nearly all bus operations are private.
The fact is that the most successful parts of Translink — the Canada Line, the Golden Ears Bridge and SkyTrain — have all seen heavy involvement of the private sector. In a fast-changing world, Translink’s responsibilities are far too big and diverse to all be provided in-house by a monopoly.
TransLink needs to harness private companies in Canada and beyond to give us the best possible transport system at a reasonable cost.
Stephen Tighe, Port Coquitlam
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