In the years to come, public transport will be assigned the considerable extra task of helping to control the rapid growth of car use. Its present market share must at least be retained, in spite of the growing car ownership. Public transport companies can only carry out this task if they actively look for and develop new markets; they must not wait and see what new markets the government finds by means of its price policy. Of course the new markets should be sufficiently large for efficient operation. This paper describes the search for those new markets. Where are they to be found and what are the chances for efficient operation? A method will be described for discovering these opportunities for public transport. The approach focuses firstly on origins and destinations favourable for public transport, and secondly on connections. The results of this study can be used in planning new public transport routes.
Abstract