Introduction
It isn’t easy to overstate the value of public transportation (PT) in the life of any state. The metaphorical comparison “the nervous system of the region” is highly appropriate for this expression. Urban passenger transport is designed to move people between major institutions, businesses, and other centers of gravity for culture, sports, households, and other activities. Hence, cities can promote PT through the improvement of their internal factors, as well as satisfaction-raising and car-disrupting strategies.
Benefits of Public Transportation
PT is becoming more crucial with the growing urban population and the prevalence of private transportation methods. Numerous issues have become significant challenges in large American cities due to the rise in automotive dependency and the continued expansion of car ownership and usage (Sultana et al., 2022). These include reduced mobility alternatives for non-drivers, increased energy consumption, safety concerns, and issues with traffic congestion, air pollution, and road and parking infrastructure expenses (Sultana et al., 2022). Thus, while private transportation in the US is currently more popular, the widespread use of PT can lead to several advantages.
One of PT’s most prominent benefits is its environmental aspect. By lowering the usage of private cars and the accompanying environmental effects, PT can promote sustainability projects. When moving people collectively, PT emits 45% less CO2, 95% less CO, and 48% less NO2 than private automobiles (Sultana et al., 2022). CO was found to have decreased by 5% to 15% in Taiwan following the introduction of the rail system and NO, NO2 (Sultana et al., 2022).
Moreover, CO2 was found to have decreased by 5% to 15% in Germany following the extension of the rail service (Sultana et al., 2022). If 5% of Americans chose PT or used it for 5% of journeys, the amount of pollution reduced would be more than the amount produced by all chemical and metal processing factories combined. (Sultana et al., 2022). Hence, the increase in PT usage can lead to a positive influence on the environment.
Moreover, PT use can lead to several economic and social benefits. A 2009 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) analysis estimated that an annual investment of $1 billion in PT would result in a more than $1.7 billion GDP increase (Sultana et al., 2022). A switch from driving to taking PT can result in several cost savings depending on some circumstances, like reduced miles and falling vehicle ownership. The availability of PT services can be especially advantageous for low-income individuals who cannot afford to buy a car, as well as for elderly and disabled individuals, by providing a convenient and economical service. Hence, PT can reduce the cost of living for the general population and benefit the national budget.
Moreover, PT usage can benefit the health of the general population. According to studies, transit users complete about two-thirds of the daily recommended amount of physical activity, ten times more than the non-users’ reported average walking distance. It is also important to note that medical costs are 32% lower for those who meet the prescribed physical activity levels than those who do not (Sultana et al., 2022). Another study found that walking for 21 minutes can help burn between 65.1 and 98.7 calories, and burning 100 kilocalories a day could help avoid paying $12,500 in obesity-related medical expenses (Sultana et al., 2022). Hence, PT motivates people to walk more, thus decreasing the medical expenses related to obesity.
Barriers to Public Transportation Development
However, PT is hampered for several reasons. Accessibility and social inclusion in modern society have been hampered by a lack of transport options (Berg & Ihlström, 2018). Because PT is frequently less accessible in rural and sparsely populated areas, rural residents have fewer opportunities to engage in typical social interactions and activities. For rural residents, private car travel is essential to realizing daily tasks and is perceived as necessary (Berg & Ihlström, 2018).
Regular car use results from several factors, including habit, time and space constraints, and the absence of services, activities, and the quality of PT (Berg & Ihlström, 2018). In particular, subpar PT systems constrain children and adolescents’ autonomous movement. The ability to use PT is also influenced by the physical surroundings, such as whether or not roads and bus stations are deemed secure (Berg & Ihlström, 2018). Hence, the development of PT is hindered by their perceived insecurity and lack of quality.
Ways to Promote Public Transportation
Thus, the image of PT and its usage can be promoted by appropriate changes to its internal factors by the city administration. Firstly, cities can increase PT’s convenience by expanding its availability, convenience, and frequency (Jasim et al., 2021). Secondly, the administration should issue information about when and how to use public transit to support this convenience. Thirdly, the speed of PT services should be prioritized. Furthermore, cities should create more eminently accessible land use patterns and more varied transit infrastructure for increased accessibility (Jasim et al., 2021).
Moreover, changing the design of the metro and buses will decrease the chance of crowding and increase the comfort of PT, which is a widespread concern. Finally, improved safety procedures in stations, buses, and metros will improve the image of PT and allow a greater number of people to use it (Jasim et al., 2021). Hence, improving the internal factors influencing PT can improve its popularity.
Other ways to increase the use of PT are increasing the satisfaction with PT usage and strategies for car habit disruption. The satisfaction-increasing strategies include perceived satisfaction and experienced satisfaction. An example of an experienced satisfaction method is creating an E-ticketing system that can be used city-wide on all transportation modes and accepts online or mobile payments for travel passes (Zarabi et al., 2022). An example of a perceived satisfaction method is utilizing real-time transit information to enhance service dependability and solve users’ false impressions of wait times, particularly for buses (Zarabi et al., 2022).
Moreover, car habit-disrupting strategies can be used to promote the usage of PT. An example of this strategy is providing frequent drivers with free one-month PT tickets, following trial follow-up and promotion renewal (Zarabi et al., 2022). Hence, in addition to improving internal factors, satisfaction improvement and car habit-disrupting strategies can be utilized to promote PT.
Conclusion
Thus, PT is currently underdeveloped and underused for several reasons. The prevalent use of private transportation, especially in rural areas and small towns, decreases the number of people who use public transportation. Moreover, PT’s perceived lack of quality and security hinders its expansion.
However, its usage can bring advantages, such as economic, health, and environmental benefits. With the usage of appropriate policies by city administrations, such as the improvement of internal factors, methods to change car usage habits, and satisfaction improvement, the popularity of PT can increase exponentially. To summarize, while PT is underdeveloped, it can bring massive advantages to the public if it is done with proper techniques.
References
Sultana, T., Sisiopiku, V. P., Khalil, J., & Yan, D. (2022). Potential benefits of increased public transit ridership in medium sized cities: a case study. Journal of Transportation Technologies, 12(1), 59-79. Web.
Berg, J, & Ihlström, J. (2018) The importance of public transport for mobility and everyday activities among rural residents. Social Sciences, 8(2), 1-13. Web.
Jasim, I. A., Farhan, S. L., & Hasan, H. M. (2021) Ways to activate urban transport to achieve urban sustainability. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1090(1), 1-10. Web.
Zarabi, Z., Taniguchi, A., & Waygood, E. O. D. (2022). Shifting to public transport: the influence of soft interventions. ResearchGate. Web.