Planning effective and efficient public transport systems

As population increases and cities continue to grow, there is an urgency to provide efficient and cost effective Public Transport (PT). Globally there are enormous differences between transport systems; some countries have efficient systems while others appear to have no system at all. This research is undertaken with the express purpose of investigating efficient, well incorporated PT systems from around the world, for their specific application to Australian capital city transport hubs, but also for their adaptability to other global areas. The aim of this paper is to develop strategies for planning public transport. The design of this paper relies heavily on extensive global research, seeking to discover appropriate PT systems and then investigating the benefits and feasibility in an Australian context. The paper examines case studies from Europe, Asia and Canada and focuses not only on efficiency and cost-effectiveness, but also on sustainability. Case studies from major cities with cost efficient and effective public transport systems were examined and analysed to develop models of PT systems for Australian cities. This research is limited by the large volume of public transport case studies that are available, the limitations on the size of this research paper and the lack of available specific data. The goal is to expand on this introductory research over a sustained period. This is an original study and although only in its infancy, this research will be of significant value to the Australian public transport industry to support improvements in infrastructure.