Ask yourself this: What business are you in?

A short post.

 

If you are in public transport as an administrator, planner, operator or advocate, I need you to ask yourself one question. 

What business are you in? 

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You have two minutes to think. 

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Do you have an answer? 

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Good. 

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Now watch this video. At seven minutes it's shorter than the reading time for too many of these posts. 

Mark Bouris on Kerry Packer (contains strong language)

Did you think that the video you just watched was out of place as it didn't mention transport? Think again. 

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Now do you wish to revise your answer? 

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Is your amended answer similar to that which was arrived at in the video? 

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After all, is it not also true that those in public transport are also in the business of peoples' hopes and dreams? 

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Public transport projects and service priorities influence things like: 

- Whether someone can take and hold a job because of a train frequency upgrade or a job ready bus network. 

- Whether someone can get to education to do a course they want to do. 

- The people you meet, can easily visit and can hook up with.

Public transport is a great enabler to all this and more. The impacts can be life-changing and opportunity broadening. 

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If you said that your business was tracks and tyres, rolling stock and routes or even infrastructure and innovation, then are you prepared to change your answer? 

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If so then does that lead you to reappraise what is really important? For example is a new station roof more important than the variety of places that the trains under it run to? Or is the way a bus is powered as important as routes are direct, useful or run at convenient frequencies? 

Is 'hopes and dreams' a useful lens through which to judge the merit of various transport projects and initiatives? If it was I wonder how various projects would then compare, or whether priorities might have been different. 

Comments are appreciated and can be left below.