A city bus can sit anywhere from 24 - 48 people. Does that bus only run when there are 2 people on it and what happens if there are more people wanting to use the bus? What does the bus company do?
Answers:
The bus will run with only one person on it. The cost to run that bus is the same with one person on it as it is with 48 people on it. However the bus will make more money with more people using it.
During peak times the bus company will run extra buses to keep up with the demand.
When providing a service the company must have enough equipment and staff to effectively provide the -service. Peak times for a city bus is usually 7-9AM 11-1 PM and 4-6PM. Still that bus runs 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Newfoundland Power's equipment provides electricity 24/7. Health care is available 24/7.
WHY IS THIS NOT THE CASE WITH OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS!?
A restaurant usually opens to cover off peak hours. A restaurant is usually open from 8AM - 8PM, give or take a few hours. This usually covers breakfast, dinner/lunch and supper. However, just like people travel 24/7, people also eat 24/7. It is clear that business during non-peak times would be slow and perhaps the business would not make any money some nights. But should a restaurant that provides a necessary service, that is food, be operating the same as other service providers. Many people who travel long distances rely on restaurants to get their meals and snacks. For 12 hours of the day these people may have to go without eating because no restaurants are open during the night hours in their area.
This is a sign for a real restaurant. As you can see they do not open until late in the morning. They completely overlook breakfast.
McDonalds and Tim Horton's in Clarenville are about the only places to get food between the hours of 12AM and 5AM. Even then only their drive thru is open. They may only see one or two customers between those hours but still they are available to public.
The same applies to things such as gas stations, speaking from personal experience. You never know when somebody might take sick in the night and you find yourself driving to the hospital at 2 in the morning. When you get to the hospital the gas light comes on and you know that you do not have enough gas to get home. You find yourself sitting next to a gas pump at 5 in the morning waiting for the gas station to open at 7.
People are always traveling and very few services such as food and gas is available to them 24 hours a day. Often these are needed. There are always people traveling and on the go. By opening these business, with reduced staff, they could potentially make money and have increased customer satisfaction. I think other select services should be providing better hours to their customers.
