Public yes, but not nationalized. User fees and ends-means and run-to-fail has severely damaged the critical resource that is our bc highways ferry system, and removed any reliability from the transit systems which are our main evacuation system in emergencies. These are services classed as Emergency and Essential that can barely provide minimal service in optimal circumstances, let alone under stress.

We have failing boats, fairweather trains, ditched buses, etc. Why? Costs of doing it right is not borne out by user fees and gov proceeds are insufficient. A guy in castlegar shipping to Vancouver pays nothing extra for road access aside from fuel costs; shipping it further to Nanaimo or Victoria means massive cost increases hat he'd rather not pay in taxes OR user fees. So while he enjoys access to roads maintained by Transpo, he sneers at doing his part to maintain a ferry system and will consistently vote against smart money and seamless service because some fucking suit from Edmonton told him user-pay is better for ferries because then it's the others' problem. Screw those guys.

Buses. Paid mainly by the gov but with user fees to ensure the poorest can't use them. And still the buses are in the ditch at the Markham turnoff in the winter for lack of winter tires. User fees do not support a decent tire budget, let alone an actual biz continuity plan.

There's Government Service, and there's Public Service Badly Managed for Profit. Hint: if our ferry system tries to bill itself as a tour operator, it's in the latter group.