Public Transportation vs Private Transportation. Which Is Better and What Should Be Done to Enhance the Experience

There has been a major debate going on in society about whether it’s still appropriate to stick to private transportation given the negative impact of it including traffic, environmental issues, etc. With private transportation, you can travel in comfort and enjoy the ride to your destination with much convenience. Public transportation refers to the mode of transportation where a large group of people travels together on designated routes.

 

The majority of the reasons for choosing public transportation over private transportation are covered in this article. We’ll discuss the social and economic benefits of utilizing public transportation and discuss ways to raise the standard of public transport.  This article discusses why you should embrace public transport, why it is safer than driving a private vehicle on the road, and how to overcome the necessary challenges.

 

You may benefit much from public transportation both socially and economically. The nation’s health and the local economy both stand to gain significantly from this. Apart from that, public transportation reduces the amount of home expenses used. The development of public transportation in a nation raised tax revenue and property values near transit. The usage of public transportation increases the well-being of people in a way because people tend to walk more when they use public transportation than when they use private transportation. Healthy lifestyles are linked to higher productivity and lower death rates. So we can count public transportation as a way that increases the well-being of humans. Fewer traffic jams, and taking public transit reduces travel time by millions of hours. Better transit networks might prevent even more driving. Most millennials Prefer Public Transportation for all these reasons.

 

 

Making use of transportation to promote a green environment

 

In addition to its economic, cultural, and social benefits, public transportation contributes significantly to the environment. Globally, the use of public transportation greatly reduces air pollution. It is reported that efficient public transportation could decrease annual carbon emissions in the United States by 37 million metric tons. According to the statistics, 95% of emissions related to transportation are carbon dioxide. Ultimately, it becomes evident that transportation is the primary contributor to CO2 emissions.

 

 As mentioned above, most of the emissions are emitted by transportation and as you can see the usage of public transportation minimizes the number of vehicles on the road which eventually reduces the toxic emissions to the environment. To lessen air pollution, governments everywhere are launching campaigns to persuade citizens to take public transportation. These projects include the creation of more effective public transportation systems and subsidies. Because of this, more people are utilizing public transportation, which lowers traffic and air pollution.

 

To stop pollution, a lot of public vehicles, including buses and trains, are now running on alternative fuels like electricity and hydrogen. Urban air quality is being improved and air pollution is being reduced as a result of the move towards greener and more sustainable energy sources.

 

 

How can we improve the attractiveness of public transportation in our country?

 

 One of the reasons why some people choose private transportation is the sense of discomfort they feel in public modes of transportation in terms of facilities and protection. Let us see the factors that can help improve public transportation to give a better service to society. As a community, we can start upgrading our public transportation by updating the old infrastructure. Improving bus terminals, railroads, and bridges with funds from the city or town budget or federal grants. Upgrading to modern transportation mediums and more modern assets can improve user experience and reduce asset management costs for the country by lowering maintenance costs.

 

 

 

 

Why, in terms of protection, is public transportation preferable to private transportation?

 

 According to the APTA’s study, “The Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation,” choosing public transportation is over 10 times safer than driving a private vehicle. Since public transportation offers safer options for driving, the use of public transportation by people who are intoxicated, fatigued, or easily distracted can lower the number of vehicle accidents in day-to-day life.  For those who would prefer to ride at an accessible and reasonable price,  buses and trains provide a practical alternative. Furthermore, mass transit lessens the chance of accidents caused by weariness by allowing passengers to relax and escape the stress of driving. Busy people can catch up on work or reading. Moreover, more people using public transportation reduces traffic congestion and the likelihood of collisions caused by it.

 

Safety concerns when it comes to women

 

Men and women experience the transportation systems quite differently, especially when it comes to safety and personal protection. Studies reveal a significant prevalence of sexual harassment and assault against women and girls in public transportation around the world. Sexual harassment on public transportation limits women’s freedom of movement and employability, which in turn limits their access to healthcare and education as well as job possibilities. Moreover, it’s truly important to safeguard the protection of women in using public transportation to upgrade the quality of public transportation and make it a safe place for all of us humans. Women’s participation in the work market in developing nations is hampered by limited access to transportation and safety concerns. By developing better, safe public transportation services we can overcome this problem.

 

When using public transportation, technology can significantly increase safety. Safety concerns can be managed more effectively with the use of apps and online platforms for real-time event reporting. The ‘SafeCity’ app, for instance, is used in India to combat sexual harassment by allowing users to report incidents anonymously.  With the ‘Emergency Help Me’ app, South Korean subway passengers can inform about any sort of danger they encounter when using public transportation.

 

Providing safe public transportation for women and girls necessitates a multifaceted strategy that includes training, community involvement, federal leadership, and thoughtful infrastructure design. Considerable progress can be achieved by establishing a culture of zero tolerance towards harassment and abuse and providing transport staff with the resources they need to identify and report such incidents. The ultimate objective is to enable every woman and girl to travel fearlessly so that they can realize their full potential and make the best of everything life has to offer.

 

 The benefits of utilizing public transportation have been discussed in this article, along with several strong reasons that people should think about themselves as sophisticated human beings. Since owning a car or other personal vehicle is often seen as an indicator of wealth in developing nations, I believe that everyone should have to be down to earth and modest to push themselves to use public transport irrespective of their status. As a community, we can also urge our government to improve the quality of public transportation to make it more appealing to the public and to implement more safety measures to guarantee the security of the passengers.

 

 

References and further reading

 

 Movmi (2023) Preventing violence against women on public transport systems. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/preventing-violence-against-women-public-vtnyc.

 

By Flaxman Law Group (2015) How public transit can reduce car accident rates — Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog — January 27, 2015. https://www.floridacaraccidentlawyerblog.com/public-transit-can-reduce-car-accident-rates/.