Public transport in the UK

It's Good Friday, and I'm about to go and visit a friend in Cardiff. I would normally drive, but I thought, hey, I'll take the train, and then I can be drunk on the way home.

However, the bus service in this city doesn't run on public holidays.

So I guess I'm driving.

Bristol public transport is well known for being among the worst in the country.
We have one bus company (can you say monopoly) which obviously has no competition to lower prices, or improve services.

While I'm on the subject: It can cost £80 to travel the 120 miles from Bristol to London on the train. Probably standing all the way. And yet, I'm flying to Bratislava for £20 in a few weeks. (It's only £20 because we missed the £11.99 tickets).
(If you don't believe me, go to EasyJet, and look for prices to places.)

Having private companies running public transport is A Bad Idea.
Things that are essential to the running of the country such as public transport, the NHS, the emergency services should be run by the state.
Things that people are forced to use being run by private companies is such a bad idea, I won't even go into it. The railways are particularly bad, as one company manages the tracks, another the trains, and they all point fingers at each other when something goes wrong.

Something like public transport should be run with the full knowledge it'll make a loss. Every year. And have to be subsidised by the tax payer.
In fact, while we're at it, if the Government is sincere about getting people out of their cars, why don't we re-nationalise trains and buses, add a few percent onto income tax, and make trains and buses free to use. For everyone.
Could it be because they'd rather that it remained the worst option, and then they could tax us lots so that we could stay using our cars?