So why do taxpayers own some ferries?

The Dom Post editorial:

Kiwirail wants to “move on” from the saga of the Aratere. It’s easy to see why. The ferry has had years of trouble and has earned an enormous amount of bad publicity. Politicians like Winston Peters question its safety. The ship started breaking down soon after it arrived from a Spanish shipyard in 1999 and quickly earned its nickname The Lemon. The name has stuck.

If taxpayers didn’t own the ferry, then it would not be our concern. If a private company has a lemon as a ferry, then its competitors will pick up more business, and their shareholders lose money.