Public Transport

#REDIRECT Public transport

Public transport

[[Image:Bustaxi.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A taxi serving as a bus]] Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. It is also called public transit or mass transit. While it is generally taken to mean Rail transport and bus services, wider definitions would include scheduled airline services, ferry, taxicab services etc. — any system that transports members of the general public. The term rapid transit refers to fast public transport in and around cities, such as metro systems. Public transport can be faster than other modes of travel; prime examples are in cities where road congestion can be avoided, and for long distance travel where much higher speeds are possible than are permitted on roads. However, in the United States public transport trips can take up to two to three times longer than an equivalent trip by automobile. Increased road traffic congestion and improved transit systems are reducing or eliminating this disparity in many areas. ==History== Conveyances for public hire are as old as the first manned ferry, and the earliest public transport was water transport, for on land people walked or Animal-powered transport. Some historic forms of public transport are the stagecoach, travelling an appointed route from inn to inn, and the horse-drawn boat carrying paying passengers, which was a feature of canal systems from their 17th-century origins. The bus, the first organized public transit system within a city, appears to have been originated in Nantes, France, in 1826. Since 1876, the ''Sundb�t'' ("Harbor Boat") of Norwegian coastal city Kristiansund has been carrying passengers between the four islands that the city is built on. Still running, the Sundb�t is the world's oldest regular public transport service in continuous operation. ==Modern forms of public transport== Public transportation comes in many forms: * Aerial tramway also called ''cable car'' or ''cableway'', vehicle suspended on aerial cables * Airliner * Automated guideway transit (AGT), also called ''Peoplemover'' * Auto rickshaw * Bus normally serving a regular fixed route but could include a variable route, divert-on-demand service, see Bus rapid transit * Cable car (railway) on rails, used in cities, a streetcar (tram} pulled by a cable * Cable car on rails, used in mountains, see Funicular * Cable car suspended on a cable, see Aerial tramway * Chairlift * Coach * Cog railway (or rack and pinion railway) * Conveyor transport (term includes escalators and horizontal or slightly inclined moving sidewalk - "Travolator") * Electric trolleybus * Chicago 'L' The Chicago Transit Authority runs the largest Elevated Railroad, known as the 'L' * Escalator * Ferry, including hydrofoil and Hovercraft * Funicular, used in mountains, tram-like vehicle on rails pulled by a cable up and down a very steep slope. * Gondola lift * Helicopter * Jitney * Light rail a tram-like system with no significant sections of the route shared with cars or pedestrians * Limousine * Maglev * Metro (also known as Subway or Underground) **Rubber-tired metro **Advanced light rapid transit * Monorail * Rickshaw * Taxicab * Train, including commuter train and high-speed rail * Tram (or tramway, trolley, streetcar) * Transit bus * Vehicle for hire * Velotaxi * Water taxi Some of these types are often not for use by the general public, e.g. elevators in offices and apartment buildings, buses for personnel or school children, etc. * Emerging transportation technologies ** Group rapid transit ** Dual mode transit ** Personal rapid transit ** Automated highway systems ** Bus rapid transit ==Intermodal transport== In the United States, an increasing emphasis has been placed on intermodal transport facilities. These are intended to help passengers move from one mode (or form) of transportation to another. An intermodal station may service air, rail, and highway transportation for example. In the United States, such facilities exist at South Bend, Indiana; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, DC; San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California; and O'Hare International Airport, Chicago. At the Hong Kong International Airport, ferry services to various piers in the Pearl River Delta is provided. Passengers from Guangdong can use these piers to take a flight at the Airport, without passing through customs and immigration control, effectively like having a transit from one flight to another. The Airport is well-connected with expressways and an Airport Express train service. A seaport and logistics facilities will be added in the near future. ==Nodes and stops== Stations are an important aspect of any public transportation system. Specific types include: * Airport, Heliport * Bus stop (including bus station, bus depot) * Metro station * Ship terminal, landing-stage or jetty * Taxi stand * Train station * Tram stop In addition one can alight from and usually board a taxi at any road where stopping is allowed. Some fixed route buses allow getting on and off at suitable unmarked locations along that route, typically called a hail-and-ride section. ==Ticket systems== ''See also fare.'' Different arangements for fare collection are in use. Depending on the type, fares: *must be bought in advance, one can not physically enter the railway platform, vehicle, etc. without, due to a turnstile or guard (usually found in metro) *must be bought in advance as a voucher for a user-determined amount of money, which is encoded on the ticket by electronic, magnetic, or optical means. A fare is deducted automatically each time the ticket is used upon system entry, or both entry and exit where the fare is variable by distance (newer installations) *must be bought in advance, one is checked by a Conductor (transportation), etc., upon entry (usually found on buses in North America and Western Europe. and on commuter rail systems) *must be bought in advance, one is checked randomly by a Ticket controller (transportation); Honor System (usually found in Eastern Europe and the United States) *can be bought on entering the vehicle or during the ride *sometimes can be bought both in advance or during the ride, with the fare being higher in the latter case, see also Conductor (transportation); in this case purchase in advance is often possible at major stations, but usually not at a typical tram or bus stop Special tickets include: *passes for unlimited travel within a period of time *passes for unlimited travel during a given number of days that can be chosen within a longer period of time (e.g. 8 days within a month) *multi-ride tickets *discount tickets valid for someone with a discount pass, etc. *Token (numismatics) *Magnetic stripe card **Common Stored Value Tickets *Smartcard **Octopus card *Season ticket *SMS tickets Sometimes public transport is free, and thus no tickets are needed, such as in Hasselt in Belgium. ==Funding== Funding for public transport systems differ widely, from systems which are run as unsubsidised commercial enterprises to systems that are free of charge: *Commerce, California - free bus services *Hasselt, Belgium - free bus services *Gent - free night bus services (weekends only) *Renesse (mun. Schouwen-Duiveland), Netherlands - free bus services in the area (in summer only) *Dordrecht - bus and ferry, some saturdays at the end of each year *Noordwijk/Oegstgeest - Leiden Transferium - The Hague, express bus, running on weekdays during daytime, free of charge as a test during 2004; it is intended for commuters working in The Hague and living in Leiden or beyond who would otherwise travel by car to the Hague, to promote parking the car at the Transferium and continuing the journey by bus; the aim is to reduce road traffic congestion between Leiden and The Hague. The test is paid by the province of South Holland. It will not be continued in 2005. *Washington, D.C. - Congressional Subway - small free metro system *some ferries, such as the Staten Island, New York Ferry. *short-distance 'public transport' such as elevator, escalator, moving sidewalk (horizontal and inclined); these are often part of a larger public transport system or business (e.g. shop) of which the products and services are not free. * Yellow bicycle programs, providing free bicycle for short-term public use Other transportation services may be commercial, but receive benefits from the government compared to a normal company, e.g., * direct payments to run unprofitable services. * government bailouts it the company is likely to collapse (often applied to airlines). * tax advantages, e.g., aviation fuel is typically not taxed. * reduction of competition through licensing schemes (often applied to taxi and airline services.) * allowing use of state-owned infrastructure without payment or for less than cost-price (may apply for railways). One reason many cities spend large sums on their public transport systems is that heavy automobile traffic congests city streets and causes air pollution. It is believed that well maintained, high volume public transport systems alleviate this. Many complex factors affect the outcome of spending in public transport, so success in reducing car traffic is not always assured. Another reason for subsidies for public transit are the provision of mobility to those who cannot afford or are physically incapable of using an automobile and those who reject its use on environmental or safety grounds. === United States === In the United States, operations of most public transit (transportation) services are financially subsidized by local and state governments, who provide small amounts of matching funds to receive 80% capital grant aid from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation. This agency administers programs which provide funding and support services to state and local agencies which operate a wide range of public transportation services. These include local urban and suburban bus and paratransit services, light rail, heritage streetcar systems, cable car (railway), subway, rapid transit, and commuter rail (North America) services. Special rural transportation programs of the FTA and some state governments provide assistance for bus and paratransit services in some areas. ===Hong Kong=== In Hong Kong MTR Corporation Limited and KCR Corporation are given the rights to utilise lands near stations, depots or tracks for property development. Profits from land development covers the partial cost of construction, but not operation, of the urban rail systems. Similar arrangments are available to the ferry piers of franchised ferry service providers. Franchised bus operators are exempted from paying tax on diesel. ==Social issues== Critics of public transportation systems often claim they attract "undesirable elements" and tell of violent criminals preying on passengers and homeless people sleeping on trains and reliving themselves in public areas. While there are occasional highly publicized incidents, modern public transport systems are well patrolled and generally have low crime rates. Most transit operators have developed methods to discourage people from using their facilities for overnight shelter. Well designed transit systems are used by many social classes and new systems have a major positive impact on real estate prices. The Hong Kong metro MTR generates a profit by redeveloping land around its stations. Much public opposition to new transit construction protests the impact on neighborhoods of the new economic development public transportation attracts. By contrast, car accidents cause an estimated 1 million fatalities per year world wide. In the United States alone there were 42,643 automobile accident fatalities in 2003, almost three times the total number of murders (14,408). ==Sleeping in public transport== In the era when long distance trips took several days, sleeping accommodations were an essential part of transportation. Today, most airlines and long distance trains offer reclining seats and many provide pillows and blankets for overnight travelers. Better sleeping arrangements are commonly offered for a premium fare (e.g. first class, business class, etc.) and include sleeping cars on overnight trains, larger private cabins on ships and airplane seats that convert into beds. Budget conscious tourists sometimes plan their trips using overnight train or bus trips in lieu of paying for an hotel. The ability to get additional sleep on the way to work is attractive to many commuters using public transportation. Some regional rail operators provide "quiet cars" where loud conversation and cell phone use are banned. Occasionally, a local transit route with a long overnight segment and which accepts inexpensive multi-use passes will acquire a reputation as a "moving hotel" for people with limited funds. Most transportation agencies actively discourage this and even a low fare often deters the poorest individuals, including homeless people One example of this is the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus route 22 [http://www.vta.org/schedules/SC_22.html], dubbed 'Hotel 22', between Palo Alto, California and San Jose, California, (Silicon Valley), in the United States. A pass for 24 hours costs 4 U.S. dollars and one for a month, 45 dollars, much less than a hotel, house or apartment. Another example is the Interurban rail services operated by CityRail out of Sydney, Australia. Fairly comfortable trains operate between Sydney, Australia and Lithgow, New South Wales or Newcastle, New South Wales during the night, trips of approximately 2� hours. Age, Disability and Sole Parent pensioner excursion fares are $3.30 and $2.20 Australian Dollar for an all day ticket. See also night bus. ==See also== *Travel class *Timetable *Public transport service numbering *Car sharing - seen as highly complementary to public transport *Urban economics *Toilet#Toilets_in_public_transport *Transit (transportation) *Public Transport Users Association - lobby group for Victoria (Australia) * Hackney carriages ==External links== Transportation Public transport

Public transport

Why is this restrict to ground transportation? Should ferries be public transport too? How about conveyer belt type people mover? Indeed, why? Probably because the original author relied on people adding more unusal forms later on :-) I'll get right on it. Conveyer belt would be fine, but i have never seen an actual transportations system built of them. Though that is not saying that it's non-exsistant.. --Anders T�rlind : in Hong Kong, tens of thousands of commuters travel each work day between the Central District (a financial district) and the Mid Level (a residential district hundreds of feet up the hill side) using a long distance conveyer belt + esculator combination. The conveyer belt only goes one way and reverses depending on rush hour traffic direction. Since the sole purpose of the system is to ease road traffic by providing commuters with a different means of travel, it could be classified as a public transport system. Add to the article if you see fit. This thing DOES exist! : Wow! I've gotta haul my behind there to see that thing! Of course it goes on the listing! --Anders T�rlind :: http://www.gohome.com.hk/District_Photo/23E002.jpg http://www.urban.com.hk/images/psfm2.gif See more pictures at http://hk.yahoo.com/headlines/010726/hongkong/mingpao/goa2txt.html The whole system is 800 meters long, the vertical climb is 135 meters. Total travel time is 20 minutes, but most people walk while the system moves to shorten the travel time. Due to its vertical climb, the same distance is equivalent to several miles of zigzaging roads if travelled by car. It consists of 20 esculators and 3 conveyer belts. Daily traffic exceeds 35000 people. It was put in service since 1993. It cost HK$ 240,000,000 (around $US 30,000,000) to build. :: Cool! Theese would be nice on the conveyor belt page :-) --Anders T�rlind Would the experts like to add this information on the conveyor belt page? -User:Olivier 17:49 Oct 26, 2002 (UTC) ---- Do long-distance (scheduled) trains, buses, and planes count as public transport? :Robert Merkel No quite sure actually...I've always had the impression that public transport is something subsidized by the local government in order to provide taxpayers with cheap (and at least for the city) convenient transport. That would exclude a lot of the long-distance routes, but there are many instances where public transport could extend quite a ways from a city, and infact be a countrywide network of routes with short distances between every stop (as evidenced by the "l�nstrafik" in Sweden by the way). --Anders T�rlind ---- So far as I know, there is no limit on long-distance a route can be and still be considered public transport. (What else would you call it?) The only real exception I can think of is that planes rarely seem to be considered public transport - perhaps because they are used even by people who go everywhere else by car? --AdamW ---- ''Do long-distance (scheduled) trains, buses, and planes count as public transport?'' Of course. Public transport is any form of passenger transport on/in which members of the public can ride (normally against payment - though there are instances of free public transport). Thus my car is not public transport (not just anyone can ride in it); a taxi, though, IS (it's available to any member of the public). A private jet is not public transport (that's why it's called a private jet); a privately owned British Airways jet IS public transport, however, when it flies on a scheduled route to which anyone who can pay the fare has access. -- User:Picapica 11:18, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC) ::As a 35 year veteran of bus transportation of many types in the U.S., I think I can shed some light here. The terminology ''public transit'' or ''public transportation'' has been increasingly used to define the government-supported services which receive funding from the U.S. federal government, initially under Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA) and later under its successor, Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Because the recipient organizations operating with this assistance essentially receive free or almost free capital equipment, (IE 80-100% federal and state funds), they must operate under different rules than the non-subsidized "private" sector, which includes public stock companies such as Greyhound (Laidlaw), Coach U.S.A., and many,.many smaller organziations. The "private" sector providers seem to prefer words other than public transportation to define their services, IE charter service, tours, motorcoach, etc, even though some or most of their services are also available to the public, either as individual passengers, or as groups. The American Public Transit Association (APTA) primarily represents the first group (dependent upon capitol grant funding) and American Bus Association (ABA) and United Motorcoach Association (UMA) represent the second group. User:Vaoverland 07:23, Dec 29, 2004 (UTC) == Oldest public transport == This appears under "History" ''Since 1876, the Sundb�t ("Harbor Boat") of Norwegian coastal city Kristiansund N has been carrying passengers between the four islands that the city is built on. Still running, the Sundb�t is the world's oldest regular public transport service in continuous operation.'' What is the basis of that assertion? I can think of four older services without straining too hard: #Metropolitan Line of London Transport (1863) #Long Island Rail Road Brooklyn to Jamaica (1867) #District line of London Transport (1864) #New York Battery to Staten Island Ferry (probably continuous from about 1817, when steamboats began in use, but certainly from about 1860, when the Staten Island Railroad opened) Is there some definition of "regular public transport service in continuous operation" that I'm missing? -- User:Cecropia | User talk:Cecropia 04:49, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC) --User:ArnoldReinhold 21:55, 15 Mar 2005 (UTC) ==Move intermodal== I'd like to move the intermodal discussion to its own page Intermodal passenger transport, with more catigorization and examples. Any objections? Also anyone know what intermodal facility the South Bend, Indiana link refers to ?--User:ArnoldReinhold 21:55, 15 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Important Announcement == Public Transportation is for losers! - Homer Simpson :o) ::Well, that is certainly a credible source for a statement. User:Vaoverland 03:26, Apr 21, 2005 (UTC) :::Who did you think was in charge of US transportation policy? --User:ArnoldReinhold 14:41, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Public transport

Transportation

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