We only mentioned the Western world so far, but public transportation is in quite a high demand in other parts of the world, too. In 2015, the International Association of Public Transport released a comprehensive study about public transport in the 21st century.
According to their data, China had the largest number of total journeys, Europe (the 27 countries included in the study) ranked second, and Japan came in third. In China, an average resident would take about 84.5 journeys a year, and an average European would use public transport 57.3 times a year.
As far as cities go, Hong Kong is often praised for having one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world. And the locals know it: in a recent survey by Time Out, 98% of those living in Hong Kong rated the city's public transportation system positively.
The respondents listed 10 different lines, air-conditioned buses, minibuses, and even double-decker trams as the main reasons why. Other Asian cities didn't fall that much behind Hong Kong. Shanghai and Beijing were voted second and third place, respectively, by their locals.
#8 Dude Takes His Massive Mastiff On The Bus And Fails To Control The Dog. Dog Is Barking Every 10 Seconds. Bonus Points For The Dudes A*s Hanging Out
Many public transport companies around the world are not profitable – that's just the nature of it. Yet in Hong Kong, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation operates on the "rail plus property" model. It has residential and commercial properties above its stations, from which they collect rent or sale fees and therefore are able to turn a profit.
Public transport ticket prices in Hong Kong aren't that high either. If you only need to go a few stops, the cheapest fare is only 50 cents in U.S. dollars. If you need to get to the other side of the city, the fare will be more expensive, but it's still around 7.5 USD. In 2019, the tickets alone covered 170% of the system's operating costs. Last year, MTR's profit was around two billion dollars.
#14 Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn
#15 2 Women In The Bus Were Loudly Discussing Why My Arms Look Like This. Neither Were Right
Experts say that the "rail plus property" model works wonderfully for Hong Kong, but would be hard to implement in cities with old railway systems such as London or New York. "The metro in Hong Kong is much younger than those in London and New York," Karol Zemek, editor of Metro Report International, told The Guardian.
"A lot of problems, especially in New York at the moment, come from ageing infrastructure. Parts of the London and New York networks are among the oldest examples of metros in the world."
#16 Group Of Kids Spent The Train Ride Blasting Music Then Left All Of This
#17 Seats Taken By Bikes On Crowded Train. The Owners Of The Bikes Saw People Standing On The Train And Wouldn’t Move Them
#18 This Dude Is Just Blasting Music On His Stupid JBL Clip On The Bus
Did you know some cities even have free public transport? That includes the city of Hasselt in Belgium, Dunkirk and Montpellier in France, Belgrade in Serbia, and Estonia's capital, Tallinn. In a bid to reduce carbon emissions and rising fuel costs, two European countries went ticket-free, too: Luxembourg in 2022 and Malta in 2020.
#19 Full Train And People Asking Him To Move But He Was Too "Tired" To Give Them The Seats
#20 The Lady Next To Me Leans Her Bag On Me After I Ask Her To Move It To Take The Last Available Seat
