经济学人:智能卡片取代现金 人们无处可去?(2)

 　　The city has hired too few inspectors¹ to catch fare-dodgers and motorists who stray into bus lanes (though cameras are catching² some of the errant cars). 城市中的查票员和巡警不足，很难抓住逃票者以及那些违规占用公交车道的司机（即使摄像头能够抓住一些违法车辆）。

　　Sometimes buses are so crowded that even honest passengers have trouble reaching the card-swiper. 有时候，公交车非常拥挤以至于最诚实的乘客也难以接触扫卡器。

　　Increasingly, passengers are less inclined to pay. 渐渐地，乘客们不太愿意付钱了。

　　Despite the subsidies³, fares have risen by 40% since 2010, far faster than most prices. 尽管有政府的补助，自2010年起公共交通的车费上涨了40%，这比其他开销上涨速度要快得多。

　　Bus journeys have slowed by 8% since 2012. 但是，旅程时间却比2012年慢了8%。

　　For some, fare-dodging is a form of protest. 对于一些人来说，逃票就是一种抗争行为。

　　Guillermo Munoz, the metropolitan⁴ area's director of public transport, admits that in some parts of the capital the service is “very bad”. 公共交通系统的地区领导人Guillermo Munoz承认在首都的一些地方，公共交通服务是极其糟糕的。

　　Last month Chile's transport minister resigned, in part to take responsibility for Transantiago's failings. 上个月，智利的交通部长辞职，部分原因就是为圣地亚哥通的失败承担责任。

　　Espacio Publico says one reason for the high subsidies is that too few companies operate the buses. Espacio Publico谈到政府为公共交通提供高额补贴是因为运营公交的公司太少了。

　　The system began with 16 operators but dropouts and mergers⁵ have shrunk the number to seven. 该系统原本有16家运营商，但是有些退出或者合并，现在只剩下七家。

　　The largest firms operate 1,200 buses apiece. 最大的公司独自运营1200辆公交。

　　This makes them “too big to fail”, says Clemente Perez of Espacio Publico. Espacio Publico智囊机构的Clemente Perez谈到，这使得这些运营商“规模太大以至于不会破产”。

　　Hence the subsidies to keep money-losing companies afloat. 于是，补贴使赔钱公司继续运转。

　　No company should have more than 10% of the market, Mr Perez thinks. Perez认为，任何一家公司都不应该有超过10%的市场占有率。

　　The city will have a chance to correct that next year, when contracts to operate bus lines are to expire. 圣地亚哥明年有机会去进行改进，因为到时候与公交运营商的合同就会到期。

　　It is likely to encourage smaller and newer companies to enter the market. 政府很有可能让小型的新公司进入市场。

　　That might release money for improvements. 这可能会让更多钱流入市场从而情况得到改善。

　　The new transport minister, Paola Tapia, has created a task-force to help reduce fare-dodging and promised more money for inspectors. 新的交通部长Paola Tapia已经成立工作小组来协助减少逃票现象，同时承诺给检票员提高工资。

　　With luck, Transantiago could become a service that commuters are happy to pay for. 如果一切顺利的话，Transantiago应该会变成一款令通勤者们愉快付钱的交通服务。

1 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

5 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件