Can public transport become seamless?

As cities evolve, improved route designs and integrated transport systems, combined with new technologies, promise smoother transit within many of the world’s urban centres.  

But roadblocks still exist. For many people, public transport is often viewed as a mode of last resort; a ticket to cheaper travel alternatives, a form of transit for those with the knowledge, patience and time to wait for the next service.  

Adding to this, many existing communities and developments aren’t built with accessible mobility or public transport at front of mind; user touchpoints of traditional transport leave a lot to be desired; divisions remain over how shared mobility can be developed more equitably; and an accelerated shift towards satellite living and working in today’s status quo has raised the question of whether mass transport systems will have a core role in future mobility.  

This begs the question: can mass public transport become truly seamless?  

By introducing efficient transport systems, this will enable us to achieve a world free of congestion and missed connections, adding precious time back into our everyday lives.  

A bridge to seamless solutions 

Stepping foot in any city for the first time can be a daunting experience; new and infrequent public transport users have enhanced needs for information before setting out on a journey or whilst they are in transit on foreign transport networks. But, no matter how much information is at their fingertips, things don’t always go to plan. 

As famed scholar and author Erol Ozan pointed out, “you can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system.” Given more context, this quote encapsulates how various strata of society have traditionally learned to navigate, and thus experience, cityscapes via listless trial and error. It also captures the point that the experience dividend of the journey is key, and that bridging existing knowledge gaps will offer people more seamless navigation of public transport networks. 

In the future mobility revolution, smarter, personalised user interfaces will be the ticket to enhancing how people reach their destinations. Whereas knowledge gaps have existed in the past, contemporary systems and data flows will provide continuous updates to ensure users know exactly where they are. These aren’t just limited to functions within a specific transport provider’s system. Increasingly, multi-modal apps and web services will harness real-time, open source, integrated data sets to provide comprehensive information aimed at delivering an overall view of a user’s journey. To achieve this, public transport needs to be part of the entire mobility landscape and not a ‘closed shop’ to everyday commuters. Tailoring these systems to user itineraries places people at the centre of the service offering. 

It pays to travel 

The same principle applies to fare payment – digital payment channels which aren’t specific to transport could make catching a metro or bus as simple as grabbing a coffee on the go.  
De-mystifying fares, tickets and validity rules can make public transport a convenient option. For many current non-users, the lack of awareness and uncertainty about fares and payment methods can be more overwhelming than the cost of the fare itself. Again, placing the user at the centre of the journey can be realised by enriching digital touchpoints to address both the knowledge gap and the perceived issues of traditional fare systems. 

Mind the gap 

It’s not just between the train and the platform that gaps can pose problems. Perceived distances between public transport and destinations can override users’ decision-making processes when it comes to choosing the most convenient option for getting around. 

Well-designed terminals and stations will reduce the distance, both real and perceived. It’s in this context that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) can help shape the future form of the urban realm. TOD mixes residential and commercial opportunities with the objective of optimising land use and maximising access to public transport. The end goal of this is to ensure public transport is prioritised as an essential cog in the transit machine of any functioning city, rather than as an ‘add-on’. 

This is not to say that public transport – or ‘shared mobility’ in the future – has to be focussed solely on dense, urban development. Smaller scale provision – in frequency and vehicle size – will have a role to play in maintaining the viability of communities in rural areas, whether in terms of access to essential services or providing a social environment that counter-acts the feelings of isolation which can come from living in remote locations, or indeed just living alone anywhere.