When the energy resources become scarce, flexibility and infrastructural use of public transport can be improved substantially through containerization of public transport. No more half loaded trains nor empty trucks. Any carrier, whether on rail or road, whether transporting people or goods, will be employed effectively whenever transport demands are present. Constant comparisons of origin-destination matrices and available capacity can be made as soon as they are being produced by chip card data and freight applications. Optimization of transport capacity will be the result. Heavy traffic will be restrained increasingly in urban areas, making the entrances of highways the transfer stations of road trains. stations of road trains. Railway stations again process goods next to passengers. As transport efficiency increases, it will be possible for ultralight car users to take with them their ultra light vehicles in special containers. A usual trip may be a trip on the road to the nearest station, a trip via long haul public transport, and finally a trip on the road to the destination. This paper considers the issues related to containerization of public transport, some of the principles involved, and matters of price structure. (A)
Abstract