While some people may believe that government contributions and the reduction of cost for public transport would make much of a difference to transport pollution, I believe this could be a great help towards the reduction of said pollution.
Although public transport is known to cause less pollution than private transport, due to it transporting a greater amount of people at once, many people steer away from choosing to travel on public transport for fear of safety or simply the maintenance and hygiene of the public travel facilities, and government contributions hold great potential in changing this. If the government of a country were to invest in improving the quality and safety of public transport, such as buses and metros, people would be less likely to prefer private travel in personal cars or taxis, which in the long run, cause a much greater amount of pollution.
Additionally, reducing the cost of ticket prices, can increase the demographic of people opting for public transport, such as university students, who often live on budgets and would prefer cheaper options.
It can be argued that despite improvements in public transport systems, people will opt for whatever option is more convenient for them, and would prioritise their comfort and luxury over the care of the environment, and that the government can instead work towards finding and investing in alternative fuels for transport that cause less harm to the environment altogether. However, I believe helping our environment is not only the responsibility of the government but also of the people.
Despite the possibility that improving the public transport systems, in terms of cost and quality will not change people’s contributions towards transport pollution, I believe there is great potential for the reduction of pollution if these improvements are made.