PUBLIC TRANSPORT "HIDDEN TREASURE" - THE BENEFITS IT BRINGS TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE
In 1991 the International Commission of Transport Economics made the study of the benefits of public transit to non-users the subject of its contribution to the UITP Congress. The paper which was presented identified the many benefits which the provision and use of public transit brought to the community as a whole and which were often ignored in decisions about funding public transit services. The principal conclusions of the study are as relevant today as they were in 1991 and were: The provision of public transit gives a wide range of benefits to both users and non-users. User benefits are reflected in the journeys made by public transit and the service it provides. Non-user benefits, while important, may be ignored in making decisions about allocating resources in the transportation sector as a whole. This article provides an overview of the wide range of benefits identified in the 1991 study.
In 1899 Thorstein Veblen wrote a seminal monograph on the subject of consumption and leisure. ::: His work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, is one of the most enduring examples of status-seeking ::: individuals� conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure practices, particularly when applied ::: to the tourist industry, and furthermore, is still relevant in today�s economic climate. This article ::: develops an independent theory of backpackers and how they can be perceived as undertaking ::: conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure practices. This is done using Veblen�s work as ::: a foundation. Qualitative methods using in-depth interviews and participant observation techniques ::: are employed to obtain data from 41 participants. The findings serve to highlight the fact that ::: Veblen�s thesis is as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1899.