Public transport demand

ExtractPublic transport may be defined as any mode of transport available for hire and reward (Preston, 2009; Nash, 1981). In other words, any form of transport available for use by the general public. This includes not only bus and rail, but also taxis, as well as air and sea services. It can include both passenger and freight services, although own-account freight services (where a company moves its own goods) are not normally thought of as public transport. In practice, the term ‘public transport’ (‘transit’ in the US) has tended to refer to land-based passenger transport and, especially, bus and rail services. It is in this context that the phrase ‘public transport’ will be used in this chapter.