Because those things are not a "free market"
In a free market people can vote with their wallets, meaning shit products/services fail and good products/services succeed. (In theory anyway, I realise we can all think of counter examples.) But this isn't what happens with the railways, to use them as an example. A franchise makes a bid and then the government is tied in for the duration of the franchise. And the passengers' only choice is to pick a different type of transport option (which may be utterly impractical), they can't
For it to be a "free market" the customers must be able to vote with their wallets, either by running franchises side-by-side on the same lines in competition (which isn't practical), or by writing the contracts such that the government/taxpayer can switch to a different option (which the lobbyists would never let them do).
(, Thu 24 Sep 2015, 15:20, Reply)
All of this plus...
..if an operator was stripped of a franchise (as you point out highly unlikely) the operator that moves in would likely buy the same rolling stock and employ the same people on the same lines, little would change. At least if it was public we would get a glimmer of joy every once in a while when the Minister for Transport was flogged for wasting our money.
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transparenttown Dead to worse..., Thu 24 Sep 2015, 15:59,
Reply)