Bazza [b wrotepid='271828' dateline='1644929019']Am I the only one uncomfortable with this system?[/b]Nope. You're not.
Maybe if the operator who has decided not to run the unprofitable trips is ruled out of tendering for public money, or better still, the local authority puts all trips for that route throughout the day (with any profits going back into the public purse) for tender, it may focus the minds within the various companies who decide that putting their hand out is the easy option.
To think an operator may just not break even, but is more than happy running it under subsidy shows how broken the system really is.
They're not bothered about passengers. They're not bothered about the tax payer.
Because if they were, I'd argue that this whole process wouldn't exist in the first place.
Theres been many an example of an operator running something courtesy of their begging bowl, to then suddenly decide that very same service is commercially viable once someone else wins the tender.