Some people believe that allocating more government budget to public transportation and reducing the fares would decrease transport pollution significantly. I am an advocate of the notion completely.
To begin with, improving the public transport system can boost the number of people who use public transportation on some level. One of the possible reasons for driving a private vehicle would be inaccessible to public transportation. Some citizens have no choice but to drive by themselves to go where they would like to go. If there were more stations and several trains/ buses available, private vehicles would be no longer required for day-to-day life.
Second, if public transportation fees become lower, it will encourage people to take public transportation. Some people might have to commute far from home to head to their office and driving a car might be more economical for those people even taking into the consideration cost of a car, insurance, etc. If public transportation is a lot more affordable choice than driving, it will be a key element to inspire commuters to take trains/buses to the office. Hence emittion will be reduced.
In conclusion, I believe that government investment in the public transport system and reduction in transportation fees would assist in reducing pollution drastically. However, there are some cases where private vehicles are more convenient even if those two changes are made such as going to shop for some products in bulk or going to an amusement park with an infant. Therefore, it is not possible to achieve zero emissions from private vehicles.