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Paul Campion , CEO of TRL , asks what do we talk
When I say the words “ public transport ”, do you automatically think about buses and trains ? I do , but I ’ m not sure why . Is it because buses and trains are shared ( I might have to sit next to a stranger !)? Or is it because they run to a timetable , on a fixed network , so I have to go to the trouble of getting to the bus stop or the station ? Think about taxis and minicabs , do you consider them when you think about public transport ? They are public transport modes we share with the driver and with all the other passengers that ride them over time ; although because they will start and stop where we like and not just at fixed places , many forget to consider them public modes of transportation . And what about planes ? Do you think of a first-class flight to Singapore as “ public transport ”?
What determines how we think about public transport ? In our society , could it have something to do with class . We understand that public transport is a good thing in general , but who really likes to think of themselves as “ the general public ”? I ’ m special , and you probably are , too .
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