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Public transport

This article is about nonexclusive shared passenger journeys for the public. For hired vehicles or hired rides, see Shared transport.
"Mass transit" and "mass transport" redirect here. For other uses, see Mass transit (disambiguation).

Monorail in China
Ferry in the United States
Bus in England
Rapid transit in Japan
Examples of types of public transport. Clockwise from top left: A monorail in China, a ferry in the United States, a commuter rail system in Japan, and a bus in England.
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Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typically managed on a schedule, operated on established routes, and that may charge a posted fee for each trip.[1][2] There is no rigid definition of which kinds of transport are included, and air travel is often not thought of when discussing public transport—dictionaries use wording like "buses, trains, etc."[3] Examples of public transport include city buses, trolleybuses, trams (or light rail) and passenger trains, rapid transit (metro/subway/underground, etc.) and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail. High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world.

Most public transport systems run along fixed routes with set embarkation/disembarkation points to a prearranged timetable, with the most frequent services running to a headway (e.g.: "every 15 minutes" as opposed to being scheduled for any specific time of the day). However, most public transport trips include other modes of travel, such as passengers walking or catching bus services to access train stations.[4] Share taxis offer on-demand services in many parts of the world, which may compete with fixed public transport lines, or complement them, by bringing passengers to interchanges. Paratransit is sometimes used in areas of low demand and for people who need a door-to-door service.[5]

Urban public transit differs distinctly among Asia, North America, and Europe. In Asia, profit-driven, privately owned and publicly traded mass transit and real estate conglomerates predominantly operate public transit systems.[6][7] In North America, municipal transit authorities most commonly run mass transit operations. In Europe, both state-owned and private companies predominantly operate mass transit systems.

For geographical, historical and economic reasons, differences exist internationally regarding the use and extent of public transport. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It has over 1,900 members from more than 100 countries from all over the globe.

In recent years, some high-wealth cities have seen a decline in public transport usage. A number of sources attribute this trend to the rise in popularity of remote work, ride-sharing services, and car loans being relatively cheap across many countries. Major cities such as Toronto, Paris, Chicago, and London have seen this decline and have attempted to intervene by cutting fares and encouraging new modes of transportation, such as e-scooters and e-bikes.[8] Because of the reduced emissions and other environmental impacts of using public transportation over private transportation, many experts have pointed to an increased investment in public transit as an important climate change mitigation tactic.[9]

  1. ^ "public transport". English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018. Buses, trains, and other forms of transport that are available to the public, charge set fares, and run on fixed routes.
  2. ^ "public transport in British". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018. a system of buses, trains, etc., running on fixed routes, on which the public may travel
  3. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers - Walking, cycling, and travelling in vehicles or on public transport". UK Government. Retrieved 17 July 2021. Check with your transport operator: bus, coach, tram and ferry operators/National Rail/TfL
  4. ^ McLeod, Sam (2017). "Urban Public Transport: Planning Principles and Emerging Practice". Journal of Planning Literature. 32 (3): 223–239. doi:10.1177/0885412217693570. S2CID 157431405.
  5. ^ "PublicTransportation.org". www.publictransportation.org. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  6. ^ Calimente, John (2012). "Rail integrated communities in Tokyo". Journal of Transport and Land Use. 5 (1). doi:10.5198/jtlu.v5i1.280. hdl:11299/171057.
  7. ^ "Lessons from Japanese Experiences of Roles of Public and Private Sectors in Urban Transport". Japan Railway & Transport Review. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Public transport is in decline in many wealthy cities". The Economist. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Public Transit @ProjectDrawdown #ClimateSolutions". Project Drawdown. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2022.

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