What ways do you suggest to encourage the usage of public transport among the people?

Increasing number of personal cars used over the world for commuting is a big reason for the increase in air pollution. Encouraging people to use public transport is a solution to reverse or hold the problem of air pollution.

What ways do you suggest to encourage the usage of public transport among the people?

Introduction

A few decades ago, having a car of your own was a luxury that was only for a lucky few. It meant that the person who bought a car was not only affluent, but more importantly was well versed in driving. There were only a few brands in the market. This scene has totally changed today. Having a car is not a luxury, but a necessity for every household. With innumerable brands entering the market daily, it translates into more number of private vehicles on the road. This number is only going up dangerously on a daily basis. Apart from creating traffic woes, this also means increasing levels of pollution.

Popularizing public modes of transport

Using public transport will definitely bring down the pollution levels, decongest the roads, save money and resources (for both the individual and the state), and help improve the finances of the transport corporations of the respective states. There are several benefits to increased use of public transport.

According to the reports given by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the body that runs buses in Bangalore, it has been running on losses. Rightly so, with more and more people opting to drive them around the city, or hailing autos, which contribute even more to the pollution levels. Let us look at a few ways in which we can encourage people to use public transport:

• Introducing other modes of transport like underground metro; this will also avoid clogging the roads.

• Employing more drivers and conductors. This reduces the pressure on the existing workers, who have to run extra shifts many times. This can also enable more number of trips, even if the number of buses is not increased.

• Make the drivers and conductors more customer-friendly. Some public transport organizations already have such training programs for their employees. One of the major grouses people have is rude staff. This issue has to be addressed immediately.

• Providing feeder services, such as minivans, to and from areas that have reduced transport frequency.

• Attempting to reduce the autos on the road by assimilating the auto drivers into the public transport workforce.

• Providing offers to travelers such as one free ride for every hundred trips, special concessions for senior citizens, and other benefits for travelers.

• Spread awareness through newspapers and social networking sites.

Conclusion

These are a few ideas, it is possible to think of many more ways to popularize public transport, and encourage more people to travel by the local buses and trains.