Innovative Practices around the World for Promotion of Public Transport
Public Transportation is one of the key components of a society. Public transportation across the world is off late experiencing a lot of development and innovation. It is interesting to learn new ideas that are implemented in different cities in the world. Through this article I would like to share some of effective tools that I have come across for promotion of public transport.
1. Offering Luxury Service in the Metro
Dubai Metro has attempted to attract young population and local citizens by offering luxury services. The authority has reserved one coach as Gold Section; price of this section is twice of that of economy section. An exclusive section such as this gives better comfort to commuters.
2. Reserving One Coach exclusively for Women
Delhi Metro has reserved the first coach of every metro train for women only; no male passengers are allowed in the ladies coach except for children. The authority has also imposed a penalty of INR 200 for offenders. The same approach was also followed in South Korea in 1992 but was withdrawn later on.
3. No Ticketing Machine or Validator in Vienna
Vienna, capital of Austria, is known to have one of the best public transportation systems in the country. One of the best elements of the system is free access to all modes of transport. There are no ticket validators installed in the bus, light rail or metro stations. The commuters need to buy the simple paper pass to travel. Further, all guests who check-in to the hotels in the city also get complementary travel passes.
4. Piano Stairs Encourage People to Get Some Exercise
A group of people in Odenplan, Stockholm noticed that number of people using the escalators were much more than those using stairs in the subway station. Infact only 10% of commuters were using stairs. To encourage walking, the team decided to transform the exit stairs of Odenplan subway in Stockholm, into a giant functioning piano keyboard. The Piano Stairs in reality make piano-like notes when one steps on the keys (or stairs in this case). Now, 66% commuters use stairs and have enjoyable time while exiting the station.
5. Public Rapid Transit @ Heathrow Airport
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also called podcar, is a public transport mode featuring small automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guided ways. The system consists of a fleet of driver-less electric vehicles that follow a network of guided routes that are located at street level, above or below ground. The first such contemporary system is launched at London’s Heathrow Airport – ULTRa (Urban Light Transport). The system was developed by Advanced Transport Systems (ATS), Ltd., in association with the University of Bristol, to provide efficient personalized public transportation with little or no waiting time.
6. Bicycle Population in The Netherlands
There are more than 13 million bikes in Netherland with a population of approximately 16.5 million which translates to almost one bike per person. Such person to bike ratio is probably the highest in the World. Since Netherland is a flat and small country, bike is a fine way of getting around. The distances amongst towns are not very long. Dutch weren’t always such avid cyclists. There are two key reasons for the adoption of cycle as a mode of transport infrastructure and social acceptance. Preferences were given to build more cycle paths, bike parks and other facilities; further, it has become part of culture so everyone just loves to cycle.
7. Japanese Public Transit for Kids by Eiji Mititooka
To attract kids to use public transport, Japanese authority introduced a new concept. Two regional trains were loaded with hundreds of toys, TV screens broadcasting cartoons, immaculately clean wood flooring and cots for younger children. It was designed and conceptualized by Eiji Mititooka, with an intention to give passengers a more comfortable experience, particularly children. These trains operate on a daily basis on the 14.3 km kishigawa line to ‘omoden’ (toy train) and ‘ichigoec’ (strawberry train).
8. Creating Masterpieces at Metro Station in Taiwan
Kaohsiung city is located at the hub of Southern Taiwan. The authority has built a MRT system in the city on Build-Operate-Transfer basis. At O5/R10 Station on Zhongshan Road, the underground concourse level is crowned with a structure called ‘The Dome of Light’, which was designed by the highly acclaimed Italian artist, Narcissus Quagliata, whose architectural art glass works have received international fame and recognition. The station has 11 entry / exit doors. The Dome of Light, 30 meters in diameter, is a piece of artwork consisting of glass, colored drawings and lighting. This piece of artwork has 6,400 pieces of glass with each one having its own unique number. Approximate cost of building such marvel is about $20 million.
9. Borrow and Return book at Sans Francisco Metro Station
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), serving San Francisco Bay Area, operates 167 km of lines with 44 stations. In order to make one’s journey interesting, the authority has been adding Library-a-Go-Go vending machines to stations since 2008, allowing passengers to borrow and return books on their commute. Pittsburg/Bay Point station was the first one to install the $100,000 Contra Costa County Library machine, imported from Sweden, was the first in the nation and was soon followed by El Cerrito del Norte station in 2009. Later in 2011 a Peninsula Library System machine was added at the Millbrae Station.
10. Make Public Transport Free
Perth city has a Free Transit Zone for buses and a SmartRider Free Transit Zone for trains. The Public Transport in the CBD of the city is free and is exclusively supported through the earmarking of work parking levies in Perth, Australia. Transperth is providing public transport services for the Perth metro area, operating buses, trains and ferries on behalf of the WA state government. The authority operates free, high frequency bus services around CBD, CAT bus services (Central Area Transit) runs with the brand name of Fremantle, and Joondalup. On the rail network, however, free travel within the zone is only available to passengers who have purchased a SmartRider card. Other such examples around the world are Hasselt in Belgium and Tallinn in Estonia.
If you want to share something interesting/unique about Public Transport system in your city, then you may write at jaspal.singh@valoriserconsultants.com