Public Transport is touted to give us a "pathway to sustainability" and create a future that requires less to do more. It operates on the basis of moving masses of people in a safe and timely fashion. This means maximizing on space use and minimizing on time lost.
Rapid transport systems such as bendy-buses and trams, wiz people around urban centers thus eliminating the need for massive car parks and the commensurate fuel / emissions. Trains and underground railways provide rapid travel between urban and rural locales in record time, famous of which occurs by bullet trains.
Aviation fills the final link, giving us ease of access to global citizenry through "economy" seating or what one of my compatriots refers to as cattle class travel. Common to all of these public transport modes is that people are confined to close contact in relatively small spaces.
Then came Covid-19! All protocols given to us in its wake require sanitizing surfaces before and immediately after being touched by others, face coverings to prevent breathing in or exhaling viral particles and the need for social distancing. The dilemma then lies in how to abide by these deemed necessary rules and still provide a sustainable future for the planet? this question has battered public confidence in public transport.
Can the answer be an elimination of the disease and a return to "business as usual" for public transport or a re-think on incorporating new approaches to public transport so that public confidence is regained?
The conversation continues at www.rdjconsulting.co.za About RDJ Consulting (Namibia)Renewable Energy and Sustainability are our life blood…. literally!
RDJ Consulting Services CC, Windhoek, NAMIBIA. Established in 2010 to help clients meet their energy and sustainability objectives.. http://namibiatradedirectory.com/portfolio-items/rdj-consulting-services/