Yet, throughout Western Europe and the United States there are no examples of large urban areas (over 1,000,000) where there is transit choice for all but a minority of trips. Generally, automobile-competitive public transport service is provided only to the central business district and within the dense urban core. Outside such trips, public transport is either (1) not available or (2) would take too long. Automobile competitiveness is a prerequisite for attracting people out of their cars into transit.

Demographia is unaware of any public transport system in a major urban area of Western Europe or the United States that provides transportation choice for the entire community. Worse; there does not appear to even be a concept of such a system.

THE TRANSIT-CHOICE (AUTOMOBILE COMPETITIVENESS) CHALLENGE

To identify an actual system or propose a system that provides the following in an urban area of more than 1,000,000 population:

· Transit choice (automobile competitive public transport service) for at least 90 percent of trips and passenger kilometers in the particular urban area.

· Automobile competitiveness is defined as door to door trip times no more than 1.5 times automobile travel time.

The description of any system not already in operation should also include an estimate of its cost, capital and annual operating.

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