Public transport

Public transport (Commonwealth English) comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. It is also called public transportation, public transit or mass transit (US English). While it is generally taken to include rail and bus services, wider definitions would include scheduled airline services, ferries, taxicab services etc. - any system that transports members of the general public. A further restriction that is sometimes applied is that it should take place in shared vehicles, which would exclude taxis insofar as they're not shared.

Related Topics:
Commonwealth English - Transport - US English - Rail - Bus - Airline - Ferries - Taxicab

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Public transport is the primary form of motor transport on Earth. Whilst in the Western World private cars dominate, in poor countries (which represent the majority of human population) most people can not afford a private car, so walking, (motor)cycling or public transport are often the only options, with only the latter being viable for larger distances (which by their nature represent the majority of transportation). This usually takes the form of mini-buses (jitneys) that may follow fixed routes but are usually flexible, including the option of taxi-style door-to-door transportation.

Related Topics:
Western World - Poor countries - Mini-bus - Jitney

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Public transport can be faster than other modes of travel where a separate infrastructure is used and thus much higher speeds are possible than are permitted on roads. Prime examples are in cities where road congestion can be avoided (metro), and for long distance travel (trains). On roads this is also possible if the public transportation has its own separate lanes. However, in reality the lanes are often shared, in which case public transport on roads is usually slower due to the (frequent) stops and changeovers. Additionally, pubic transport system may be poorly developed and thus may take up to two or even three times longer than an equivalent trip in a private vehicle.

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Increased road traffic congestion and improved transit systems are reducing or eliminating this disparity in many areas, and public transport use rises sharply with population density. Ultimately, if all transport were public (in the sense of shared), more people per vehicle would mean fewer vehicles on the roads, thus reducing and probably even eliminating traffic jams. Additionally, it would be easier to centrally coordinate the flow of traffic with phased traffic lights, eliminating the usually frequent stops at traffic lights and the absense of parked cars would even create space for extra lanes. Thus, public transportation is potentially much faster than private transportation.

Related Topics:
Population density - Traffic jam - Traffic lights

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The term rapid transit refers to fast public transport in and around cities, such as metro systems (metropolitan rail). The distinction between (national) rail, metro and tram is sometimes blurred, such as in Amsterdam and the wider Randstad area, where trains often run once every 10 minutes, thus taking on the roll of a metro, the metro is only partly underground and the so-called light rail is basically a tram that runs on metro lines.

Related Topics:
Rapid transit - Metro - Amsterdam - Randstad - Light rail

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