Private transport

Private transport (as opposed to public transport) is the personal or individual use of transportation which are not available for use by the general public, where in theory the user can decide freely on the time and route of transit ('choice rider' vs. 'captive rider'^[1]), using vehicles such as: private car, company car, bicycle, dicycle, self-balancing scooter, motorcycle, scooter, aircraft, boat, snowmobile, carriage, horse, etc., or recreational equipment such as roller skates, inline skates, sailboat, sailplane, skateboard etc.

Definition

Private transport is in contrast to public transport, and commercial non-public transport. While private transportation may be used alongside nearly all modes of public transportation, private railroad cars are rare (e.g. royal train), although heritage railways are not. Unlike many forms of public transportation, which may be government subsidized or operated by privately owned commercial organizations for mass or general public use, the entire cost of private transportation is born directly or indirectly by the individual user(s). However some scholars argue that it is inaccurate to say that the costs are covered by individual user because big (and often dominant) part of cost of private transportation is the cost of infrastructure on which individual trips rely. They therefore work also with model of quasi-private mobility.^[2]

Personal transport

Private transportation includes both non-motorized methods of private transit (pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, etc.) and all forms of self-propelled transport vehicles.

Shared personal transport

Non-public passenger transport in vehicles owned by the driver or passenger or operated by the driver.

Commercial transport

Shared vehicle fleets without driver

Self driven transport in vehicles not owned by either the passengers or driver.^[3]

Shared vehicle fleets with driver

Non-scheduled transit vehicles, taxicabs and rickshaws, which are rented or hired in the short-term on-demand with driver, belong, even if the user can freely decide on the time and route of transit, to the special forms of 'public transport'.^{[citation needed]}

Shared individual vehicle journeys

Means of transport are fixed route and fixed schedule passenger services, for example, excursion riverboats, tourist cable cars, resort ski lifts.

Usage

Private transport is the dominant form of transportation in most of the world. In the United States, for example, 86.2% of passenger miles are by passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and trucks.^[4]

Examples of private transport

Motorized:
- Automobile
- Motorboat
- Electric bicycle
- Electric skateboard
- Hovercraft
- Moped
- Motorcycle
- Motorized wheelchair
- Private aviation
- Private jet
- Motor ship
- Submarine
- Electric scooter
- Electric unicycle
- Mobility scooter
- SUV
- Pick-up truck
- Limousine
Non-motorized:

Sustainability

Cycling and walking, above all, have been recognized as the most sustainable transport systems. In general, all muscle-driven mobility will have a similar energy efficiency while at the same time being almost emission-free (apart from the CO₂ exhaled during breathing).

The negative environmental impact of private transport can be alleviated by choosing the optimal modal share for a given environment and transport requirements.

Dedicated infrastructure

References

^ "Transportation Research Thesaurus: Captive riders". The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
^ Urry, John (October 2004). "The 'System' of Automobility". Theory, Culture & Society. 21 (4–5): 25–39. doi:10.1177/0263276404046059. ISSN 0263-2764. S2CID 5434134.
^ Car Transport Services, 2 June 2023
^ "Table 4-3 Passenger-Miles: 1990-2005". bts.gov. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 12 Mar 2008.

[TNAOSEM-1] "Transportation Research Thesaurus: Captive riders". The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Retrieved 2019-04-02.

[2] Urry, John (October 2004). "The 'System' of Automobility". Theory, Culture & Society. 21 (4–5): 25–39. doi:10.1177/0263276404046059. ISSN 0263-2764. S2CID 5434134.

[3] Car Transport Services, 2 June 2023

[4] "Table 4-3 Passenger-Miles: 1990-2005". bts.gov. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 12 Mar 2008.

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v t e Private transport
Motorized vehicular	Car Motorboat Electric bicycle Electric skateboard Hovercraft Motorcycle Moped Scooter (motorcycle) Mobility scooter Private jet Motor ship Submarine Motorized wheelchair Private railroad car Private spaceflight
Non-motorized vehicular	Bicycle/Cycling Pack animal Roller skates Scooter Skateboard Wheelchair Horse-drawn vehicle Hot air balloon
Vehicles for hire	Car rental Auto rickshaw Boda-boda Cycle rickshaw Gondola Hackney carriage Motorcycle taxi Paratransit Personal rapid transit Pulled rickshaw Ridesharing company Share taxi Taxicab
Shared	Shared transport Carsharing Carpooling Car jockey Flexible carpooling Peer-to-peer ridesharing Slugging Vanpool Bicycle-sharing
Non vehicular	Ice skates Inline skates Running Stair Climbing Swimming Walking Stair Climbing
Alternatives	Public transport Personal public transport Modal share Personal rapid transit