Originally Posted by
KRviator
Maybe not, but if a commercial entity can't make a go of things, and the Government already provides a transport solution to those regional centres, why should taxpayers foot the bill to double-up just because someone wants a faster trip to the big smoke? There's very few medical reasons where speed is of the essence, it's personal preference to get to and from the appointment as quickly as possible.
Hell, it might even prompt the Government to invest more in the regional rail & coach network for the benefit of everyone along the route, not just at the end. Dreamin' I know...That being said, I've always thought Rex could make money out of their regional services. Captive market. Fully depreciated fleet. Minimal competition and so on.
I also get the feeling you have never lived or done any kind of business in regional Australia. It's not just the locals who need to travel for medical appointments. What if your mum who lives in city is dying and there is no train til next Thursday? And a 3 day a week, 14 hour each way train trip is hardly conducive to doing any kind of business or encouraging investment in regional towns. Not all medical appointments are in the city - A bus isn't really an appropriare solution when a medical specialist needs to close their books for 3 or 4 days to travel to a country town. Most likely, they would just not go and have those patients to travel to them instead transferring the cost of travel to the patient. And how much less efficient is the justice system if magistrate needs an extra 3- 4 days to hear cases in a local court... What happens to those local hotels who rely on business travellers for regular income if those travellers decide the extra days out of the office isn't worth making the trip to see a few high value clients they've had for years? A lot of old, wealthy farmers wont be too happy if their insurance agent decides to conduct all their business via Skype (if there is a reliable broadband connection to support it in the first place!). Besides, the majority of people in these towns already do drive themselves or take a bus or train when they need to go to the city for discretionary travel. Just not all travel is discretionary and not all travel is outbound.