Public transportation is commonly known through buses, trains, and ferries and has been around for quite some time, dating back to the 17th century. Its main goal is to transport mass amounts of people or goods through various stops and systems.
The main selling point of public transport is its availability and benefits for the public.
Public transportation has a massively positive impact on the environment and carbon emissions and saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly in the U.S.
When making cars, the materials that are required to make then such as rubber and tires leave a heavy footprint due to the process pushing greenhouse gasses and air pollution into the air which is driving global warming. Also, the plastics and battery acids in the car also stay in the environment for a long time.
Public transportation fixes this issue as it leads to less individual cars on the road and instead one form of transportation, moving many people at once.
A convenience in public transport is that buses and trains are typically accessible to everybody with common exclusions.
For example, Amtrak, a popular train system in many of the U.S outlines their policies on minors: Children 16 and over have no restrictions, and children 13-15 would be considered unaccompanied minors.
Hedges & Company, an automotive firm, reports that 91% of adults and 34.8% of 16-19 year olds have a license. This means that there is still a significant amount of people who don’t have the option to drive.
This provides benefits and ease for many as people under 18 tend to not be able to drive or not have their license.
On the other hand, while these options are available and convenient in that sense, locations matter and can be a downfall when it comes to public transportation. Personally, most of the train and bus stations near me aren’t in walkable areas or within walking distance.
Many people also have the issue of space and stress. Public transportation tends to be overly crowded. In this environment your going to be surrounded by many people and during prime hours it can be overwhelming. They also require you to do a lot of planning, such as memorizing your stops which can be an inconvenient task.
Overall, there’s a lot of ups and downs when it comes to public transport. The benefits shine when you look at them, however the cons can make it unenjoyable.
