Public transport should be cheap – or free
SAM IELASI: I have read the various comments about why people don’t use Adelaide’s public transport and I can see their frustration.
Governments should wake up to their way of thinking. Everything has to run at a profit or break even, but the true cost is not taken into account. Consider the savings that would be made if many more people used public transport. These include:
- Greatly reduced wear and tear on our roads due to lower use and therefore savings in repair and maintenance.
- A reduction in deaths and injuries thereby saving massive hospital and other medical costs – not to mention trauma and grief.
- Faster access by emergency services without roads being clogged up.
- Massive reduction in smog and CO2 emissions.
- Conservation of resources such as oil for petrol.
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In my view the government would be well advised to make public transport available as cheaply as possible (maybe even free) and expand the service so that anyone using it could get from anywhere to anywhere with a minimum of fuss and quickly.
Imagine if you could be guaranteed to not have to wait for a bus or train for any longer than five minutes. I’m sure many people would utilise the service then. So what if public transport ran at a loss? The savings in other areas would probably more than justify it.
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