Public transportation

Public transportation, also known as public transport or public transit, can refer to any group mode of travel open to use by the general public. Common examples include city buses and trolleys, passenger trains, subway systems, and ferries (air travel is usually considered separately). The implementation of public transportation systems can vary considerably across different places, but typical features include preset routes and a relatively rigid schedule of operation to enhance cost efficiency. Public transportation is most popular in urban areas due to greater ridership demand. It has been touted by proponents as more environmentally friendly than private vehicle use, but there has also been notable political opposition from some groups.

Brief History

Public transportation has a long history, evolving over the centuries along with general developments in vehicular technology and the rise of urbanization. Early examples of public group travel systems are documented in ancient Rome and ancient China, for instance, in the form of horse-drawn carriages. In medieval times, stagecoach systems spread in Europe and beyond. Public ferries also appeared in many different societies throughout history.

However, the modern concept of public transportation truly began to flourish with the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Most notably, the invention of steam-powered railway trains fundamentally changed transportation and gave rise to many major types of mass transit. Passenger rail expanded quickly, especially in developed nations, throughout the nineteenth century. In addition to so-called heavy rail, lighter trams and streetcars—including electric-powered versions—also became popular in cities. Trains and other vehicles operating on fixed rails had the major advantage of energy efficiency due to low rolling resistance. Authorities also increasingly provided a separate right-of-way for rail travel, freeing trains from the congestion of busy city streets. This idea was taken a step further with the development of underground transit, or subways, from the late 1800s on.

Urban growth meant that transportation demand outstripped the capacity of many rail systems, however. Meanwhile, the invention of the internal combustion engine led to the rapid rise of automobiles. While private automobiles eventually became the major competitor of public transportation, automotive technologies were also adapted for public use. Perhaps most notable was the development of the bus, which merged the size and operating style of trams and streetcars with the flexibility of the automobile. Bus lines became common in many cities, while long-distance bus networks also developed in many places.

Through the twentieth century, some countries—notably including the United States—tended to embrace private automobiles and reduce investment in public transportation. However, other parts of the world continued to develop their public transportation systems, often combining corporate funding and management with government regulation. In addition to typical heavy rail (also known as rapid transit or metro systems), many jurisdictions experimented with other rail transport types, from high-speed intercity trains to light-rail trams and monorails. Some places have also used highly specialized systems, such as cable cars, to address particular infrastructure situations.

In the early twenty-first century, many experts pointed to public transportation as an important way to help lower carbon emissions and therefore mitigate anthropogenic climate change. Some researchers also increasingly argued that public transit could bring various social and economic improvements. As a result, there was momentum to expand public transportation options in some areas, such as US urban areas that had historically lacked significant passenger rail connectivity. However, there was also significant political opposition to such plans in some cases. Critics of public transportation typically argue that the upfront costs of implementing such systems presents too great a financial burden, especially when subsidies or other government funding is involved.

Environmental Impact: Overview

Transportation technologies in general have pros and cons. On one side, transportation critically supports the mobility needs of passengers and the movement of freight, ranging from urban areas to international trade across the globe. On the other side, transport activities have resulted in growing motorization and traffic congestion, and consequently the increased use of fossil fuels, particularly to drive internal combustion engines used for private automobiles and many other modes of transportation. The direct causal relationship to environmental damage and negative effects is clear. With transportation needs a priority for continued economic growth as well as the development of better living conditions for global societies, the environmental impacts in particular must be addressed. It is generally agreed that transportation outputs upwards of 25 percent of carbon emissions worldwide.

Public transportation offers positive options to several of the major drawbacks of individual, private transportation. In contrast to private taxicabs or cars, public systems can accommodate the largest numbers of passengers. Public transport systems include buses, trolleys, trains and trams, rapid transit (variously called metros, subways, and undergrounds), ferries, shuttles, and related modes. Rail and bus lines dominate the intercity portion of public transport; the advantages of rail in fuel efficiency, carrying capacity, and urban center penetration of stations make it one of the chief options under study or construction in many countries and interconnected urban areas.

Public transportation can give large numbers of people broader and wider geographic access—even while it contributes strongly to environmental and economic sustainability. Many developed countries have adopted public transportation as an important tool for reducing their over-reliance on foreign fuels and also for protecting the environment. Some countries have done an excellent job of developing, implementing, and maintaining high-quality public transport, such as Sweden, Japan, and Singapore.

Reducing Carbon Footprint

Mass transit transport saves energy compared to personal vehicle use and can significantly reduce a nation’s or state’s carbon footprint. Public transportation in the United States, for example, requires less than half of the fuel used by private vehicles. According to the Center for Transportation Excellence, private transport emits about 95 percent more carbon monoxide, 92 percent more volatile organic compounds, and twice as much carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides as does public transport, based on passenger miles traveled. Taking as example a twenty-mile round trip, if a single person were to replace transportation by private car with public transportation, the result would be a net CO₂ emissions reduction of 4,800 pounds per year.

Public transportation provides still other benefits: savings in energy costs, avoiding traffic congestion, and efficient land use in urban areas. With pressure mounting on urban lands for housing and transport, public transportation offers an important alternative.

Fuel Alternatives

Public transportation provides opportunities to test so-called green vehicles, which are environmentally friendly in terms of their use of alternatives to fossil fuels. Among the technologies now employed are electric trains, trams, and buses. Such green vehicles emit less pollution than equivalent standard vehicles (even accounting for the emissions output from generating the electricity they use). Public transport based on electric technology has the potential to reduce transport sector CO₂ emissions, to a degree that depends on the ultimate source of the electricity in question. Hybrid vehicles, those using an internal combustion engine combined with an electric engine under one hood to achieve better fuel efficiency than a regular combustion engine, have become common in the twenty-first century. Fully electric vehicles have also become more popular with technological improvements such as better battery capacity.

Natural gas is also being used as a transport fuel in urban buses, offering a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline. Similarly, biofuels such as ethanol have been used in public transport as well, although they have faced sustainability questions of their own.

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