Does public transport have legs?
Personalised transport like cars and motorcycles answer that basic need, getting from point A to point B. Yet, public transport can often take care of that as well, albeit with a little less style. It’s greener and cheaper, both important considerations, so are more people joining the queue for the bus? Overall, 14% of respondents across the 18 markets say they will use public transport more often in the coming year. The highest level of agreement was China at 39%. Kelvin Gin says Chinese people are definitely curtailing spending but we also need to remember that not that many people own cars yet in China. “Even though this is an urban sample (so potentially more car owners) and China is arguably the world’s top car market, you still have well over a billion people here who do not own a vehicle. They have to get to places somehow so public transport is always in demand in Chinese cities. The Government is improving public infrastructure all the time too.” There was also a high response
