Living Green Planet, Choosing Public Transport
Sep
17
If you don’t need a car as part of your job, think about changing to public transport.
People give several standard reasons for not using public transport, but others give just as many reasons why they love it. Those against trains and buses, in particular, refer to safety and security concerns, unreliability, and lack of services near where they live. Advocates for public transport talk about the importance of reducing the negative impact individual travellers in cars have on the environment. Using buses and trains is greener because of the numbers of passengers: the amount of polluting gasses emitted divided by the number of passengers means each individual travelling is responsible for much less pollution than an individual in a car. They also argue that trains and buses are safer and more secure; passengers benefit from becoming part of a community with other passengers, they have time to read the papers, do the crossword, finish off some paperwork, and arrive feeling more relaxed after the trip. Busses and trains have become more reliable and punctual in many parts of the UK because of growing public demand and concern, greater lobbying by passenger groups, and an increasing philosophical support for public transport generally.
Yet another group of travellers is not exactly sure how to use public transport. These people grew up not using buses or trains, and now find making the switch a bit daunting. Never fear: In the age of the Internet you have all the help you need to work out how to use public transport.
Most public transport providers in cities and towns have excellent Web sites that can help you plan your public transport journey. You can find timetable information, maps to show you the route travelled, fare information, ticketing options, and destination information. Just take the details down from the sides of buses or at stations, or call your local authority offices for more information.
Some of the larger transport agencies even provide you with a trip planner that tells you what to do after you leave your home. On these sites, if you enter your address, the address of your destination, and the time you want to leave, you’re provided with the quickest transport options, route information, the bus stop or train station to get off at, and even walking routes and distances to your selected destination:
In Northern Ireland the public transport buses and trains are all run by Translink with three operating companies — Metro and Ulsterbus operating the buses and NI Railways operating the trains. The aim is to have an integrated public transport system so that passengers can get around the region with as much ease as possible.
Your first step as a public transport novice should be to check your local transport service provider’s Web site and see whether you can get from home to work (and other destinations for that matter) by public transport. If you find a service, develop a timetable that gets you to your bus stop or train station on time both going and coming home.
Increasing the number of buses, trains, ferries, and trams and running them as near full as possible reduces traffic congestion and wasted time and money from sitting at traffic lights for half the morning and most of the evening, as well as reducing polluting emissions. All told, using public transport reduces the carbon footprint of your journey.
Catching a bus
Around 9 out of every 10 people in the UK live within reasonable walking distance of a bus stop, so you’ve little excuse for not taking advantage of this option.
Elsewhere in the country the buses are run by private firms such as Stagecoach, National Express, and FirstBus; by one of six Passenger Transport Executives in England; or by local authorities. Ask at your local authority offices for information; you can find their details in your local phone directory.
Boarding a train
The trains are run by the train operating companies such as Virgin and Silverlink. Each train operating company produces a passenger’s charter which tells you what standards of service you can expect and how to convey any feedback or suggestions you have for improvements.
Sharing the driving - and the car!
Car-sharing is becoming increasingly popular in some parts of Europe, and some schemes are already up and running in the UK. Although there are a whole range of differences between various local schemes, car-sharing comes in two basic flavours:
Lift-sharing, in which a group of employees regularly share a car to and from work. The car used is usually provided by the person whose turn it is to drive that day. In some cases the employer donates the car to the group for use as a car-share.
You don’t have to share journeys with someone working for the same firm as you. You can arrange your own car-sharing scheme with people who live near you who travel into the same town or city but work in different companies.
Software is now available to assist companies organising car-sharing groups, based on where people live and what time they want to arrive and leave from work. Various different software firms sell their own versions or create the software to your requirements.
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