Space in the market for luxury public transit?
gojomo: I believe there is such a market, but you'd have a hard time serving it given the power that MUNI and the cab industry have over municipal transport regulation.Cabs are a 'luxury' option costing 3x-15x MUNI for similar trip lengths -- and incumbent cabbies already politically limit the entry of new cabs. So, they would hardly sit still for the creation of another cost-competitive transport category.Similarly, the same political force (and romanticized vision of public transit) that insulates MUNI and its employees from much accountability can also work to insulate them from real competition. "Don't license this new 'luxury' service! It'll destroy MUNI, leaving the city with bigger transit deficits and the poorest with even fewer options."