[Olog-hai]

Intercity buses are starting to catch on in Germany because their fares are lower cost than the high-speed trains as well as having more flexible schedules. That’s what happens when the state owns too much. When there’s an alternative, people vote with their feet if it’s cheaper on their pockets and not state-run. (Even the state-owned rail company feared competition, which is sad.)

[alexander_busek]

Intercity buses are starting to catch on in Germany because their fares are lower cost than the high-speed trains as well as having more flexible schedules they were recently legalized.(*)

There, fixed it for you!

Regards,

(*)True, technically speaking they weren't actually illegal - but they were so heavily regulated as to be virtually illegal.

[Cronos]

Intercity buses are starting to catch on in Germany because their fares are lower cost than the high-speed trains as well as having more flexible schedules. That’s what happens when the state owns too much. When there’s an alternative, people vote with their feet if it’s cheaper on their pockets and not state-run

Exactly. Polish inter-city roads are bad -- the highways are smaller than US city roads, and I get bus-sick, so prefer the train if I don't take the car (to Poznan or Wrocław), but the train schedules are getting worse. Except Warsaw-Krakow it is bad -- Warsaw Gdansk takes 7 hours

There is the option of a new bus -- Polskibus that is MUCH cheaper and has trains at reasonable hours and frequent

I don't understand railways tolerating this -- it's a vicious circle: the more people they lose, the more justification to reduce trains and the more justification for people to stop using trains

Government killing an industry at work...