Public transport

Preston, J.M. (2009) Public transport. In, Kitchin, Rob and Thrift, Nigel (eds.) International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Elsevier, pp. 452-459.

Abstract

Public transport may be defined as any form of passenger or freight transport that is available for hire and reward. In practice, it usually refers to land-based passenger transport and in particular bus and train services and variants thereof. It is this narrower definition that is used in this article. The academic study of public transport has tended to be an interdisciplinary affair – geographers have studied public transport in conjunction with engineers, economists, planners, and others. These studies have focused on three themes. The first theme is that of public transport operations as a spatial system worthy of study in, and of, itself. The second theme focuses on the economics of public transport systems, in terms of demand, supply, prices, investment, subsidy, regulation, and ownership. It emphasizes elasticities, returns to scale, and welfare optimization. The third theme highlights the ways that public transport interacts with the wider economy and promotes social inclusion, as well as the impact of public transport on the environment, its interaction with private transport, and its contribution to sustainable development. Key work in these three areas is described

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Contributors

Author: J.M. Preston

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