Providing public transportation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends adopting urban transport programmes favouring high-occupancy public transport.

A new kind of small-scale flexible public transport system is operating in the Netherlands and Sweden under the names of Buurtbus and Byabuss, respectively. Byabuss is designed to especially serve the needs of small villages or built-up areas (typically around 200 households at some distance from the nearest station, shopping or administration centre). Such communities would otherwise be dependent on private cars and motorcycles. The Byabuss system is based on 8-seater mini-buses. As of 1990, Byabuss is operating in three communities, in which the people elect transport committees responsible for running the service. The committees work out timetables suitable to the wishes of the inhabitants, and set up rosters for drivers from among a pool of volunteers. As most households provide a volunteer driver, each driver works only one or two days a year and the services have no labour cost. Investment and running costs of the buses are covered by ticket charges and municipal subsidies.

In 1996, Austrians used public transport the most of all inhabitants of the European Union, Greeks the least.