Millions of people around the world use public transport every day. Some of them commute to work, school or university, other to get to the city center for a walk or to the personal meeting. The thing that unites them is their will to get to their destination quickly and comfortably.
Just a couple of years ago people would dream of changing public transport to private vehicles, however nowadays more and more people find new advantages of public transportation every day. The world situation with corona virus has one more time proven that no city is able to operate properly without buses, trams and subways.
So, what features of Public Transportation will help it to attract more and more passengers in the nearest future? Let’s consider these factors in some more detail.
Related Article: Good Public Transportation – A necessity for sustainable settlements
#1 Public Transportation Costs Less Than Servicing of Personal Vehicles
Winter and summer tires change, planned inspections, petrol and parking costs – these are only the most obvious expenses that each car owner has to spend on adequate operation of their personal vehicle and their own comfort and safety.
These spending may be justified by the level of comfort and independence private transport is able to grant for its owner, however, clearly not for everyone. A lot of people wouldn’t like to bother with so much fuss around the car and give preference to public transport that will cost less and free from spending hundreds of dollars on servicing every quarter. Some of them are simply not able to afford to buy a car and to properly take care of it afterwards. In addition, some countries place huge taxes on private vehicles to make people give up the willingness to buy a private car.
By the way, if you need the level of comfort that only a personal car can fulfill you can always use the taxi service and get wherever you need for a moderate price.
#2 Public Transportation May Save Lots of Time
Public Transport may be not so comfortable and it usually makes you fit in your plans to the public transport schedule. Nevertheless, it may significantly save not only your money but also your precious time.
Every day each car owner has to clear frost off their car and warm up the engine (when it is winter) then search for a free parking lot near his destination point and if there is none walk a couple of blocks to the office. In the evening they will have to pay for the parking lot and probably spend some time in the evening peak hour traffic jam.
#3 Well-Developed Public Transportation Reduces Stress
Instead of constantly concentrating on the road, getting nervous about unscrupulous drivers and traffic offenders and standing in perpetual traffic jams, the average public transport user has a huge number of options for a pleasant and efficient use of the time they spend in transport. Some may read a book or a newspaper, some may watch the weather forecast and advertisements on screens in a subway, others may listen to music or communicate with fellow passengers. For long-distance travel it is rationally to choose public transport, because, as you know, driving a car for a long period of time can be very tiring. One might argue that, for example, during rush hour, traveling on public transport does not perform the function of stress reliever at all. The large number of people in the cabin, the crowding, the heat and the obstructed access to the exits make millions of people around the world shudder at the mention of public transport. What is more, you are to always make sure you fit the particular transport type’s schedule to get to your destination. However, we must assure that these problems are more the fault of the city government than public transport, as it is them who approve the plan of public transport and other related issues. It is to make sure Public Transportation facilitates all the needs of the passengers. If society is uncomfortable with inefficient public transport, local authorities urgently need to implement short- and long-term strategies to improve it, as public transport can not only unload roads and bring money to the city treasury, but also significantly improve mental health and satisfaction with life in their hometown.
#4 Well-Developed Public Transportation Reduces Stress
Public Transport is not only able to save your time and nerves, it also can make your city become a better place. How? The ticket cost the average passenger pays to the municipal transportation companies go to the city treasury and is consequently used for its servicing and improvement as well as for the overall beautification of the city. That is why paying only once you get some little benefits in long-term perspective.
#5 Public Transportation Improves People’s Mobility
In the modern world, people don’t live in isolated settlements that don’t have any contacts with the neighbor one. In the era of ‘global village’ the lives of the social communities are so intertwined that there is no way it could survive without constant transport bound. Thanks to the Public Transport rural population can travel to the nearest cities for work or personal needs and vice versa. It also increases mobility of people inside the city as it usually covers the whole territory of the particular settlement and operates during the daytime.
#6 Public Transportation Cuts Down Traffic Jams
Public transport provides transportation services for people who do not have their own transport, as well as for private car owners who for some reason cannot or do not want to use it. Thus, the number of cars on the roads is reduced, as well as the time that every citizen spends in traffic jams on the way to work or home. The more continuous and fast moving public transport is, the higher is its attractiveness and economic efficiency that is why in many cities around the world road markings provide a separate lane for public transport, which also facilitates the circulation of city buses and trolleybuses and helps citizens reach their destination on time.
What is more, personal vehicles take too much space in the city; lots of owners park their cars on the sidewalks of busy traffic lines.Rail transport and the metro in particular, in turn, is a panacea against congestion on highways. It is able to transport millions of passengers every day without creating transport collapses.
These advantages benefit not only the public transport users, but also the car owners that decided to take their own car to the destination point and don’t have to spend half of their lives standing in jams.
#7 The Use of Public Transportation Reduces CO2 Emission
In recent years, humanity is increasingly thinking about the environmental situation in the world. And not for nothing, as the planet is threatened by global environmental problems, one of the most dangerous of which is the problem of air pollution. Transport accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Private cars produce the most emissions – 270g CO2/km per person.
Harmful ultrafine particles from car exhaust can lead to asthma, allergies, heart disease and lung cancer. According to the World Health Association, each year more than million deaths are caused due to air pollution, and to a large extent, due to exhaust gases from cars.
Therefore, fewer cars on the road equals less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Imagine if 20 people traveling with you on a bus used a personal car, and if 120 passengers on a subway train did so?
Again, rail transport holds the lead in this category, as its impact on the environment is minimal, especially when it comes to high-tech trains in Asian countries that travel only by magnetic force. Electric transport is also much more eco-friendly.
Conclusion
Taking into consideration all the undoubted evidences of huge role of Public Transportation in the life of every densely populated city the following conclusion may be highlighted: Public Transport is obviously one of the most important gears in the city operation mechanism and if it is organized properly it easily overtakes private transport in quite a number of characteristics.
However, in spite of the number of Public Transport advantages there are still some of its drawbacks that make the population of some cities refuse to use it. That is why it is very important that every country’s government pay more attention to the cities’ passenger transportation issues to make all its benefits work to its fullest.
Author Bio: Louis Robidoux is a blogger who enjoys writing articles that are of great interest to society. After having lots of posts published on different platforms, Louis decided to create his own site, where he’s covering topics about food, interesting hacks, and lifestyle.
