Equality in transport services (Part 2 - Services)

Last week, we postulated that the goal of government in transport is to move the most number of people within the least reasonable time at the lowest cost possible (people, time, cost). In a way, that is democratic, equitable to the poor, and inclusive to all, in three areas - infrastructure, services, and costs.  Let's look at services and what the passengers really want.

While there are always preferences for the most advanced, sophisticated, shiny, state-of-the-art gadgets, the reality is, people inherently look for the best service. Put up anything new and people will flock; after a while, they will settle down to what is convenient and comfortable for them, especially if these involve daily life. The home-to-work commute is one such recurring chore to be endured, but which can actually be enjoyed. And it doesn't look for the best infrastructure or the best vehicle or system. It seeks for the best convenience.

This is where the car (including motorcycles, taxis, Uber, Grab, Angkas) gets tops because it brings people from where they are to where they go non-stop, "door-to-door."  It may take some time for public transportation to catch up with this.  The two basic drawbacks of public transportation are accessing (to/from) the station or terminal, and transfers, if there are.  But anywhere in the world, it has never been the government's duty to provide cars to all its population nor the infrastructure to serve that.  In fact, in developed and advanced countries, their transport policy is to move people through public transportation, and decrease car use.

People want to use cars, and this leads to congestion.  The irony is, because of congestion, more and more people want to buy cars, leading to more congestion. In the end, the poor suffers because majority of us can't afford cars. If we want equality, we have to provide public transport services that would provide convenience and not difficulty - things like minimizing or eliminating transfers, improve availability and reduce waiting times, prevent people from walking up four floors just to take a ride, and limits access to public transport nodes (terminals and stops) to within five - ten walking time from where you are and to where you want to go, among other things.

The issue of transfers is particularly important because people don't want transfers (people riding cars may not understand this simply because it doesn't exist). Imagine a going home every day needing three trips (two transfers)?  Putting up a service with one transfer less will make public transportation more convenient; making the first/last mile leg more pleasant and enjoyable will make it even more desirable.

Government's role is to provide transport to most, if not all, of its people in a convenient and affordable manner, not to serve those who have cars, who are the minority in our country.  And to do this, government has to provide, and even to prioritize, public transportation - in terms of infrastructure, services, and costs.  And since we live in a democracy where equality prevails, we have to provide the service at the least possible cost. [email protected].