Efficiency of Public Transport Systems

Abstract:
We all hear the traffic woes everyday. The city has its share of negatives but traffic is one of the most talked about and experienced. One of the solutions generally given to solve the traffic problems is to have an efficient public transportation system. This solution basically cuts down the number of vehicles, and saves fuel, reduces pollution and in some cases is actually efficient in terms of time and money also. This paper discusses on the different modes of public transport by taking different case studies all over the world, the best and the not-so-good and conclusion given on the suitability and improvements or suggestions or solutions if any. It also suggests some of the future
In his paper Paul Mees’ main argument is that “low transport density isn’t a barrier to successful public transport, and that it is easier to change public transport provision in a city, than it is to change urban densities (not that increasing urban densities isn’t a worthy goal).
Certainly urban density makes it easier to make public transport successful, but I’d agree that it is possible to make public transport work a lot better in low density environments.
Indeed, in Melbourne, relatively high quality SmartBus routes (that run every 15 minutes for most of the day on weekdays, very good by suburban Melbourne standards!) have been trialled in the outer suburbs, and the patronage response has been much stronger than typical elasticities. More generally, in Melbourne over the last three years we’ve seen a very strong correlation between growth in service provision (26% more kms) and growth in patronage (29%) – more than any other potential driver of patronage (again, topic for another post).

Case study – Mumbai
Public Transport in Mumbai involves the transport of millions of its citizens by train, road and water. Over 88% of the commuters in Mumbai use public transport (suburban trains or buses). It is the most convenient, efficient and cheap form of transport to a population largely without sufficient income to