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SPEED |
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EXTENSIVE SYSTEMS |
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SERVICE INTERVAL |
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COMFORT |
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ALL DAY, ALL YEAR SERVICE |
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INTERMODAL LINKS |
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INFORMATION |
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IMAGE |
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EASY
FARE PAYMENT |
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RELIABILITY |
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SPEED: Perhaps the biggest factor
affecting the popularity of transit is its speed, relative to driving. If a particular
journey can be made in less time by car than by transit, most people will opt to drive. A
small reduction in travel times on that transit route could make transit faster than
driving, resulting in a major shift in travel patterns. An added advantage of reducing
journey times is that service intervals can also be improved because the same route
can be covered more times per day. |
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SERVICE INTERVAL: The time
spent waiting for a bus or train is part of the overall journey time, whereas a journey by
car or on foot includes no waiting time. As a guide, the service interval should be no
longer than the journey time. A five-minute bus ride across town should have a service
interval of no more than five minutes, whereas a two hour inter-city train ride should
have a service interval of no more than two hours. When service intervals are less than
five minutes, it is generally not necessary to publish schedules. |
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ALL-DAY ALL-YEAR SERVICE:
In areas where good transit services are provided from around 6am to midnight, 7 days
a week, transit is able to compete for around 99% of journeys. People living in these
areas often do not need a car, because the cost of making occasional night-time trips by
taxi is minimal. |
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INFORMATION: A good transit
system provides its passengers with easy to use information such as maps and schedules at
every transit stop, as well as over the phone and on the internet. Transit stops are
clearly marked with a symbol recognizable to residents and tourists alike. Larger stops
have heated indoor waiting areas, and real-time information, such as "Next train in X
minutes" displays. |
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| Both of these photographs show light rail teminals. The
terminal on the left, in Philadephia, provides no information to passengers, not even the
name of the station! The terminal on the right, in Tokyo, provides information in Japanese
and English, as well as bicycle parking and vending machines. |
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EASY FARE PAYMENT: Paying
the fare should be the easiest part of a transit trip. Bus fareboxes should give change,
inter-city trains should not require reservations, and journeys that require a transfer
should only require one ticket, even if the routes of more than one operator are used. |
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EXTENSIVE SYSTEMS: An
extensive transit system enables people to travel not only between points within a town or
city, but also between towns and cities. The best way to serve all these trips is to
provide various levels of service: Local services are best provided by buses or light
rail, and rapid transit in larger cities. Heavy rail is best suited to commuter, regional
or inter-city services. |
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COMFORT: A passenger on a bus or
subway should never have to face the indignity of standing. A passenger on an inter-city
bus or train should have plenty of legroom and a seat as least as comfortable as a car
seat. Transit stops should be well lit, and have a shelter with seating and other services
such as telephones and vending machines. With modern transit technology, a transit trip
can be smoother, quieter and generally less stressful than an equivalent car or airline
journey. |
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INTERMODAL LINKS: All
transit trips involve at least one other mode of transportation. Usually this is walking,
so it is essential that transit stops are well integrated into the urban fabric. In many
urban areas, bicycles are an important part of the transportation system, and must be
catered for. People living in rural and suburban areas generally do not have transit
within walking or cycling distance, and therefore park-and-ride facilities are often
needed. Also, transfers between different modes of transit should be kept to a minimum,
and made as seamless as possible. |
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This stop on the
Tramlink system in a mainly residential area of South London has good pedestrian and
bicycle access and is also served by buses. Other stops on the system connect with
commuter rail and rapid transit lines.
Photo Credit: Trams
for Bath |
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IMAGE: It
cannot be denied that transit has a poor image in the USA. If transit providers were to
follow the lead of car manufacturers, and spend more money on advertising, image promotion
and customer service, they would attract many more passengers. Even the design of buses
and trains can go a long way towards promoting a positive image. |
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RELIABILITY: The reliability of a transit system is the percentage of services that
arrive on time. In theory, a transit system can run at 100% reliability, and some even
achieve this, by rigorously maintaining their vehicles, being prepared for all foreseeable
weather conditions and passenger loads, and ensuring that a full staffing level is always
maintained. Every time a bus runs late, a transit union calls a strike, or a rail line is
blocked by snow, some passengers will decide to make that journey by car next time. For
example, transit workers in Philadelphia went on strike in 1998. Although the strike only
lasted one day, after the strike, ridership only recovered to 85% of what it had been a
year earlier. The remaining 15% of passengers decided to buy a car that day, or moved away
from the city. It is even possible that some businesses decided on that day to move to the
suburbs, after all a road cannot go on strike! |
