Passenger transportation: As a planner, we know you often have basic questions about passenger transport. We hope the Icr Getting Started blog series will provide another resource for you to educate your constituents.
When it comes to passenger transport, some UAE cities stand out. Abu-Dhabi, Al-Khaimah, and Dubai rental buses are all memorable and excellent modes of transport. Whether it’s transporting locals on their daily commute or tourists travelling for pleasure, the benefits of passenger transport are clear.
In towns and cities around the world, Passenger transport services in Dubai play an important role in the lives of residents and visitors alike. Buses, subways, trains and other passenger transport are designed to make life easier for everyone. From improving community health to increasing affordability, passenger transport systems provide the foundation for cities to become more livable and prosperous in a variety of ways.
What is passenger transport?
While passenger transport comes in many forms, it can be defined as a system that moves people from one area to another efficiently and cost-effectively. The vast majority of transport is funded and operated by local government authorities. Passenger transport systems include
- Buses
- Underground railway systems
- Trains, including high-speed rail and light rail
- Ferries
- Cable cars
These modes of transport are designed to replace car travel and reduce unnecessary walking time, and they can operate within a city or connect one city to another. The benefits of passenger transport are even more evident when the Vehicles for transportation systems are planned and designed for connectivity, a high-quality user experience and high efficiency.
Passenger transport may include free facilities such as Wi-Fi, provide opportunities for private sector sales, and encourage physical activity among passengers. The origins of many of these systems predate the dramatic growth in car ownership in the 1950s, and they are also part of local and global efforts to save energy.
Benefits of passenger transportation
Particularly in the early planning stages of a new public transport scheme or when prioritizing required improvements, it is worth considering the benefits of transport when setting budgets and designs. Below are eight transport benefits worth considering:
Improved community health
For decades, urban planners have looked to passenger transport to improve community health and well-being. Passenger transport riders must walk from their homes to a nearby bus stop and back again, which increases physical activity and helps address the modern obesity epidemic. People can achieve the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity per day by using such transport.
Economic benefits to communities
For every investment passenger transport system, there is an economic benefit to the community. This includes supporting the workforce to make needed improvements, promoting business clusters, and attracting business and leisure travellers.
People can more easily stop for a snack or a cup of coffee while walking to a transit stop than they can by car. This means that small businesses can benefit as well. Additionally, if a homeowner is looking to sell their home, they may receive a higher offer if the home is close to a passenger transit stop, which benefits both the seller and the city’s overall tax base.
Increased fuel efficiency
One of the most technological advantages of passenger transport is the ability to equip buses and other passenger transport vehicles with alternative fuels. Some systems are completely electric or use renewable energy sources for fuel.
Even when compared to other petrol-powered vehicles, passenger transport is superior in terms of fuel efficiency. Multiplying the average number of miles per gallon travelled by the number of private cars on the road, versus the number of passenger transport buses or trains, shows that using passenger transport consumes less fuel.
Passenger transport reduces air pollution
For cities that integrate passenger transport, less fuel consumption means better air quality. About 85 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from transport come from daily commuting. By leaving the car at home, a person can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20 pounds per day.
Improve road congestion
No one likes to be stuck in traffic, but a growing population demands improved road infrastructure, which costs a lot of time and money. However, road construction often makes the situation more challenging before it gets better. Another benefit of passenger transport is that more people travelling on buses, trains and other passenger systems means fewer vehicles on the roads causing traffic jams.
Improving community mobility
Intercity bus systems help commuters move throughout the region, regardless of the district or neighbourhood in which they live. Many people cannot drive, so passenger transport is sometimes the only option to help them reach their destinations.
Providing an equitable transport system
One way to expand the labour force and improve the city’s economy is to make it more affordable for more people to get to work, and passenger transport does this. This reduces the challenge of needing to afford a car and petrol – or relying on people who own cars – to earn a paycheck.
Passenger transportation improves the productivity of commuters
When a person is behind the wheel, he should be doing only one thing: driving. Many states even have laws prohibiting the use of smartphones while driving a car. This restriction on multitasking driving can lead to hours of ineffective time.
In contrast, commuters on passenger transport can be more productive during their commute. People can sleep, read and relax on their way to work.
How planners can bring these benefits into planning?
City residents, officials and planners who are considering improving or expanding passenger transport can maximise the benefits of public transport by working with specialist planning consultants such as the ICR team. By working together, we can create and effectively communicate passenger transit benefits and plans. This will allow projects to receive the necessary approvals and funding to create more livable communities for residents and visitors.
We partnered with NEW ARABIAN PASSENGERS TRANSPORT BY RENTED BUSES LLC to solve their challenge of providing passenger transport services to a large number of rural residents. This passenger transport company in UAE needed our help in planning effective passenger transport routes and services to reach this rural population, so they asked us to collect data and provide analyses to help them make the best route decisions.
Want to learn more about how transit planners can achieve community transportation goals? We’d love to connect with you. Please contact icr.ae.