City passenger transport (synonyms: public, communal) is intended for use by the majority of the population. Most often it works on a paid basis. Most public transport vehicles can carry a large number of people both at a time and per day. The movement is carried out in accordance with the route established by the transport company. The exception is various types of taxis.
What is public transport?
Public transport involves mass transportation of people. City passenger transport is not official and school buses and cars, military trains, buses transporting athletes to a match, as well as personal means for moving company employees, buses for sightseeing boats, pleasure boats, etc. Such vehicles have different functions and purposes. Also, elevators and escalators are not a public vehicle, since they function only within one specific building or facility.
Types of passenger transport
- Buses are the most common form of passenger public transport. They are actively used all over the world. There are a huge number of bus models. As fuel, so far mainly gasoline and diesel fuel are used.
- A trolleybus is one of the most popular types of public urban transport in Russia and the CIS countries. It is equipped with an electric motor with continuous feed from the contact network of wires. It is often used in Western Europe, where it is considered a subspecies of the bus.
- Tram is a traditional form of urban transport in Russia and the CIS. It uses a narrow gauge railway track and is powered by a contact network. Equipped with an electric motor. It is an intermediate option between a trolleybus and an electric train.
- Trains are actively used all over the world, but in Russia and the CIS countries this type of transport has received the greatest development. For movement, a broad gauge railway is used, as well as a contact network (for electric trains). The locomotive is equipped with an electric, diesel or (rarely) steam engine. The development of this type of transport went in the sequence: steam locomotives - diesel locomotives - electric locomotives. Now they mainly use electric locomotives and (less commonly) diesel locomotives.
- Monorail is rarely used and to a limited extent. It is allocated in a separate type of transport.
- Ships. Actively applied worldwide. These include boats, ships, steamboats, sailing ships, yachts. Currently, sailing vessels are almost never used. The main type of fuel is oil refined products.
- Aircraft. Actively developing and relatively modern type of public transport. Distributed throughout the world, especially in developed countries. In Russia are used less often. The movement is carried out by air using the principle of jet propulsion. Oil is still used as fuel.
- Shuttle taxis. A relatively new form of urban transport. Now it is widely used in Russia and post-Soviet countries. Transportation of people by minibus is organized by private transport companies. Unlike a taxi, the route is determined by these companies and city authorities, and not by the passenger.
- Passenger road transport (taxi). A taxi driver can work alone or in a private company. In the second case, fares will be significantly lower.
Bus
Bus - urban passenger transport with autonomous power supply. City bus is also called street wheeled transport. It is convenient for its maneuverability and lack of attachment to rails or wires. It can even move along dirt roads. One bus per hour carries from 200 to 4500 passengers. The maximum value for city buses is 9-10 thousand people. It is actively used as the main and auxiliary vehicle. All cities have their own network of bus routes. You can correct or change the route at any time. This is usually done by expanding cities and adding new areas.
In small cities and towns, the bus is almost the only type of transport available. In larger settlements, it is usually combined with fixed-route taxis. The disadvantages of using such vehicles so far are:
- operating costs
- air and soil polution,
- noise pollution,
- the need for frequent repairs due to breakdowns.
The gradual transition to electric buses will eliminate all these shortcomings.
Bus in Russia
In our country, bus transport has traditionally been widely used. It is used both for intracity and for suburban and intercity transportation. More than 1,500 settlements of Russia have bus routes and a bus fleet. The average distance that a passenger travels on a bus is 6 km. Despite the prevalence of intercity bus transport, it is still considered an intracity mode of transport. When traveling long distances, buses often break. Also in this case, serious accidents are often caused mainly by driver fatigue on a long journey.
In large cities of Russia, bus stations have been created, in their design and mode of operation, similar to railway ones. The employees of the bus station inform passengers about arrival, departure, flight delay, etc. through a loudspeaker.
The role of the trolleybus in passenger transport
A trolleybus as a mode of transport is not so popular and is used mainly in large cities. Intercity trolleybus routes (trolleybus lines) are in the Crimea and the Donbass, where they have existed since Soviet times. However, on a global scale, it is rather exotic.
For operation of the trolleybus, a suspended contact network of wires is used. Therefore, it belongs to the category of trackless electric vehicles. The maximum number of passengers carried is 8-9 thousand people per hour. The advantages of using this type of transport are environmental cleanliness, low operating costs, and relative reliability. At the same time, there are significant expenses in the construction of trolleybus lines and low maneuverability. Quite often, there is a violation of the contact of the trolley bus with the cantata wire network, which leads to a forced stop and downtime of the vehicle directly on the route.
Trolleybuses are actively used in Russia and the CIS countries, mainly in large and medium-sized cities. With a population of more than 250,000 people. the use of this type of transport may become appropriate.
Tram as a means of transportation
A tram is also a ground passenger city transport, typical of large cities of Russia and the countries of the former USSR. However, it gradually goes out of fashion and is now being used less and less. Moscow trams have a long history , where they appeared a very long time ago. One such vehicle can serve up to 12-15 thousand people per hour. Trams used to be popular and carried more passengers than any other form of public transport. They are considered environmentally friendly, but at the same time quite noisy devices that can break on the route, which can cause traffic jams. Another disadvantage is low maneuverability. Nevertheless, trams in Moscow are a popular form of transport among residents.
Metro - underground transport of large cities
It is also a rail mode of transport, but much more powerful than a tram. Metro can already be attributed to traditional vehicles, while it continues to evolve. In Moscow alone, new stations are constantly being introduced and new hauls are being built. Many cities have plans to expand the subway network. The design of the stations (they are mainly underground) is given great attention. Each of them has a unique, unique look and its individual characteristics. But the variety of subway cars and locomotives is incomparably lower than that of buses.
Metro throughput is very high. In an hour, one train can serve up to 40-50 thousand people. The construction of the metro is advisable in the largest cities with a population of over 1 million people. At the same time, the construction of the subway itself requires serious investments.
Minibus taxis
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this semi-commercial mode of transport became very popular. Minibuses do not have a clear link to stops (although recently authorities in the Russian regions have been trying to restrict their freedom of movement), which is very convenient, especially for people with limited mobility. The routes of their movement can be changed at any time. The disadvantages of their use is that they are stronger than buses, load streets and contribute to environmental pollution. This type of transport is also actively used for suburban communication, and they are rarely used in intercity transportation. The cost of transporting people by minibus has been growing rapidly in recent years.
Trains and electric trains
This is a traditional mode of transportation for medium and long distances. As a rule, they do not pollute the environment too much and have more reliability and safety than buses. This type of passenger transport has practically no drawbacks. However, the relative disadvantage is the high fare for long-distance trains. They also have a relatively low speed compared to an airplane. Within cities, commuter trains are used, and sometimes monorail transport. Train ticket prices are relatively low. The downside is that there are not many bus stops and routes within the cities. But they are optimally suited for suburban transportation.
Air transport
Air transport is widespread throughout the world. Routes leading to the resorts of the Black Sea coast are popular in Russia. The undoubted advantage of aviation is its high speed of movement, which can dramatically reduce travel time. Airline ticket prices are close to those of long-distance trains. However, this type of transport has its drawbacks: weather dependence and a small risk of wrecks, which often have tragic consequences. Nevertheless, statistics show that it is much more dangerous to use your own car for long journeys.
Water transport
It is divided into river and sea. In Russia, river water transport is more developed. In general, only a small number of passengers use the services of this type of transport, although in ancient times it was of great importance.
City passenger transport management
To manage various modes of transport, the corresponding ministries and departments have been created. Management of the transport system implies a set of measures aimed at coordinating the work of transport elements both among themselves and in connection with the external environment. Driving a vehicle requires knowing the rules of the road, paying taxes, distributing paid and free sections of the road network, taking into account the specifics of traffic when transporting a large number of passengers, etc. All this determines the rules for using urban passenger transport.
How public transport will develop in the future
In many countries of the world, projects are being developed for the electrification of various types of transport, including public. The leaders in this regard are Europe, China and Japan. The first to plan electric traction are the buses. In some cities in China, this process is almost complete. Some buses may reorient to the use of hydrogen fuel. The probable timing of such a transfer is 10-15 years. No less active is the development of an electric taxi. In the US, all these processes are slower, but may accelerate after the change of president. At the moment, the Trump administration is slowing down the implementation of such projects.
A little later, passenger ships and small aircraft will be transferred to electric engines. As for large airliners, the situation here is still uncertain.
The gradual transfer of vehicles to electric traction will solve environmental problems, reduce noise, increase the technical characteristics of vehicles, and make their operation cheaper.