Rich Atkinson

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A Good Business Relieves Pain

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My girlfriend has a slightly longer commute than I do.

We catch ferry to the city, but then she has to go on to Surry Hills which is too far to walk. Using public transport it’s an extra train or bus trip, about 20-30 minutes.

Recently she’s found an alternative.

Weekly, the lease of a private, secure car parking space close to her office costs less than two days of parking in the local public car park. Now she drives to work fairly regularly and we have been quite surprised by the costs involved.

Astonishingly, if you add up the total cost of driving each day (petrol, tolls, parking and maintenance) it’s slightly cheaper than public transport. If we both go by car we’re ahead by over a hundred dollars a week.

So, not only is it cheaper, but it’s faster and a heck of a lot more convenient.

It’s well understood that the best businesses relieve customer pain; Sydney’s public transport is definitely a source of pain!

Now, I don’t want to advocate driving over public transport, because environmentally that’s a disaster. But surely that’s what our city leaders are doing?

If one person in a car with a private car space can do better, faster and cheaper than the state government, then surely this is a killer business opportunity?

Written by Rich Atkinson

August 19, 2009 at 9:15 am

Posted in startups

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