Unfortunately, it's just not terribly realistic in the current political and economic climate in this country so how profitable a service is is relevant.
Yeah, but that climate was created when (or before) you were still in (baby) diapers
You can thank Maggie Thatcher for that - she Americanized your country quite well. So while thinking only in risk and return fared you quite well in the past years with a stronger economy than continental Europe, it's bound to come back to haunt you eventually. And (aside from the sub-prime loan crisis) public transit is just one area the American business model has a negative impact on. Ironically, Americans threw their own concept of risk-and-return out the window and are building new light rail systems like crazy. There's a new system popping up at least every year now...compared to the 5 light rail systems in the UK (Croydon (London), Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham) with one more under construction (Edinburgh). Germany only came up with one completely new system - hardly surprising since we already had >50 to begin with.
The UK has one of the biggest wealth gaps between the rich and the poor
I have vivid memories of my first reaction about the transit system when I went to Frankfurt. After having a little difficulty working out that you don't buy a ticket for a particular destination I can remember the shear amazement I had at how clean it was and how it ran on time.
You've never been to America if you think the gap between rich and poor is extreme in the UK. The American university I went to had more Chinese, Indian or even German students in my classes than black students...even though black people made up almost 50% of the citizens of that state.
As for Frankfurt and their transit system: I didn't think it was that spectacular. It's absolutely necessary though for the city to have efficient public transit to get all the office workers back into their suburbs quickly. That's probably why it was relatively clean, because office workers don't litter and in turn demand clean vehicles.
Most cities also issue tickets by zones rather than destinations. It was introduced in the 60s when the companies got rid of conductors on buses and trams. The previous fare system according to stages for each line was too complicated for people to understand themselves, so the companies had to invent a simple system that everyone understands as customers would have to get their tickets themselves from then on. So they came up with fare zones. NOwadays, one municipality (city, town, borough, council whateveryoucallit) is one zone. It doesn't matter where you go within that zone, or what type of vehicle you use - the price remains the same.
London has slowly started to introduce a similar system, although you still pay different prices for different types of transit. Traveling from, say, Wimbledon to Victoria station on the Tube (District line) costs you 2.50 GBP with an Oyster Card (electronic ticket), 4 GBP with a paper ticket. Traveling in between the exact same stations on National Rail Trains costs you 2.90 GBP, and if you catch a bus you only pay 1.80 GBP (with an Oyster card), as you have to change once and pay 90p each time you board. So..same distance, three prices. Wouldn't find that in Germany - same distance, same price. Some states even made that a legal requirement!
Peachy
