EFFICIENCY IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT

1. Read the dictionary entry for the word 'efficiency'.

efficiency - the quality of doing something well with no waste of time or money,

e.g. improvements in efficiency at the factory

Which of the following can improve your efficiency as a student:

Which of the following can improve efficiency of public transport:

2. Have you got any experience connected with using public transport anywhere abroad? Compare it with public transport in Ukraine. List some advantages and disadvantages.

3. What is your opinion about public transport in Kyiv?

4. How much does it cost to travel by bus / tram in your city? Is there one fare only? Does it cost more at different times? Are there any special tickets if you travel a lot every day?

5. Read the text to find out what proposals are being discussed to make public transport more efficient.

From the passenger's point of view it is quite possible to identify two views of public transport efficiency. The first is that there is a service on offer when the individual passenger requires it. The second is that although the service supplied may not meet the exact needs of individual passengers, at least it is predictable and meets the major requirements of passenger journeys. However, a great number of passengers perceive that public transport is inefficient because the service does not go where the passenger requires and it often does not go where and when timetabled. That is why actions should be undertaken by the public transport operator to increase the perceived efficiency of public transport in the minds of the general population. Better trains, buses and trams should actually meet people's needs.

Some of the proposals of the London operator, Transport 2000, include:

· Modem and efficient public transport: high quality services that work well and attractive rail and bus stations with high quality facilities.

· A comprehensive and growing public transport network, including new train lines and re-openings, extensions of bus services in rural areas and the use of taxi-buses.

· An integrated system: buses that connect with trams that connect with trains that lead to cycle lanes and taxi-buses taking people home from the station. Tickets need to be integrated, too. (In Holland you can buy an add-on to your train ticket for a taxi at the other end that will take you to your door for about £2!)

· Cheap, straightforward fares, including a national rail card, a cheap flat fare on buses, free travel for older people and no complicated restrictions on when people can use their tickets. (In countries like Holland and Switzerland people already have a national rail card.)

· Accessible transport that we can all use, from the ticket office to boarding and alighting, regardless of physical ability or age. Public transport should be designed in such a way that you can use it with a pushchair or wheelchair, or if you have a visual impairment.

· Priority for public transport: we need more bus lanes and priority traffic lights that let buses through first.

· Peace of mind: the need for more staff on duty and better lighting at bus and train stations and on their approaches to combat crime and fear of crime, especially among vulnerable sections of the community.

· Safe travel: although trains and buses are statistically safer than cars we must make sure that when accidents do happen they are not repeated. In particular, we need to see investment in safety measures to prevent trains passing signals at danger.

· A flexible and door-to-door service: one of the advantages of a car is that we can decide to go somewhere right now and just set off direct from our own door. We should be able to do likewise with public transport. That's why we should aim, wherever possible, for a public transport system that enables you to go from your door to the address you are travelling to, on one ticket, without having to book in advance and without a series of long waits.

· Accountability: our public transport system should be responsive to what the public want. It must be geared to meeting people's needs.

6. Which proposals listed in the text seem the most important to you? Put them all in the order of importance (1 – the most important, 10 – the least important). Compare your answers with those of your partner. Justify your choice.

7. Combine words from two columns to make proper collocations. Use them in sentences of your own.

Example: Cross the road at the second set of traffic lights.

8. Explain these adjectives according to the example given:

Private, delicate, frequent, dependent.

‘-cy’ combines with adjectives (adj.) to form nouns (n.) which refer to the state, quality or experience described by the adj.

Example: efficient (adj.) – efficiency (n.) is the quality of being efficient (=able to do a task successfully and without wasting time or energy)

9. Find the words hidden in the jumbles.

10. Fill the missing words in. The first one has been done for you.

11. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in capitals.

12. Put each of the following words in correct place.

Fare, sliding doors, platform, conductor, crew, cab, double-decker, bus stop, driver, rush hour, tube, destination, inspector, subway, lift, hail, single-decker, taxi-rank, metro, coach, meter, escalator, conductress, check, tip, rack.

A taxi, sometimes called a ________, is the most comfortable way to travel. You simply ________ the taxi in the street or go to a ________, where there are several taxis waiting, for example at a station. At the end of your journey, you can see how much the ________ is by looking at the ________. You add a ________ to this and that’s it. Very simple, but expensive.

What about taking a bus? If it has two floors, it’s called a ________ and you can get a good view from the top. If it has only one floor, it’s called a ________. Most buses have a two-person ________: the ________, who drives, of course and the ________, (or ________ if it’s a woman) who takes your money. Keep your ticket because an ________ might want to ________ it. You catch a bus by waiting at a ________. You can see where a bus is going because the ________ is written on the front. But try to avoid the ________.

Quicker than the bus is the underground (called the ________ in London, the ________ in New York and the ________ in Paris and many other cities). You buy your ticket at the ticket at the ticket-office. Go down to the ________ on the ________ or in the ________. The train comes. The ________ open. You get on. You look at the map of the underground system. Very simple.

For longer distances take a train or a long distance bus, usually called a ________, which is slower but cheaper. The train is very fast. Put your luggage on the ________, sit and wait till you arrive.

13. Explain the difference between:

a) A carriage and a compartment

b) A season ticket and a return ticket

c) A bus driver and a bus conductor

d) A train driver and a guard

14. Put the verb into the correct tense form (Simple Tenses). Translate the sentences.

a) Unfortunately, we … (to have) trouble with the central heating system of the university building next month.

b) Designing often … (to require) to consider the aesthetic and functional aspects. It … (to demand) research, thought, modeling and re-design.

c) There … (to be) a great demand for cars in many countries, so I hope that we … (easily/to find) interesting, well-paid job.

d) Some parts of the structure … (to crack) after the hot dry summer and rainy autumn. We … (to repair) it in the nearest future.

e) Serious study of design … (to demand) focus on the design process, which … (to depend) on the object and the individuals participating in it.

f) As far as I know, the lorry … (to arrive) on the 10^th of May. It … (to be) necessary to unload it immediately.

g) My father usually … (to walk) a few blocks to his office, but my brothers … (to prefer) driving.

h) In addition to the trouble with the engine there … (to appear) some other problems with the transmission and lubricating systems.

i) Owing to the new system of regulations the number of accidents … (to go) down and the driving … (to become) safer.

j) Stop dreaming about this car! It … (to be) extremely expensive. You … (not to have) enough money to buy it.

15. Is the public transport network modern and efficient in your city? Are the fares reasonable? Is the travel safe enough? What can be done to make our public transport system better?

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1506