Urban public transport

Provision of public transport in Australian cities is far from equitable. Residents in smaller cities and outer suburbs of large cities have poor service levels. Public transport is unsuitable for many journeys - particularly discretionary trips, but also for many essential journeys by people living and working in outer suburban areas. Many socially needy persons are also unable to use public transport because of inadequacies in physical design and service operation; many others are deterred by the high cost of fares. The newly emerging paratransit options go some way towards overcoming these deficiencies, but so far these have received limited application. The consequences of poor public transport are far from trivial. Car ownership is an expensive necessity for many low income families and imposes an undue strain on their budgets. Many car owning households also contain persons too young or too old to drive. Deficiencies in urban public transport are especially disturbing given the large (and increasing) commitment of public money to these services. There is a need to match the level of financial support to the resources available. Subsidies should be directed towards low income groups and special minorities and towards maintaining a base level of services in all areas with substantial populations (a).