What are the pros and cons of using public transport?

In the UK around 75% of people use their car for their daily commute. However, with congestion and pollution from increased traffic, why aren’t more people using community transport?

This is one of a set of free STEM resources for KS3. Can you think about current methods of community transport and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Activity: What are the pros and cons of using public transport?

In this activity, students are asked to think about current methods of community transport and the associated pros and cons. Their ideas will then be used to compile a class list of criteria that future methods of community transport should fulfil.

Slide 2 of the presentation below shows an image of traffic congestion. Learners should discuss what the image conveys and how they feel about this. Take time to discuss why many people choose to drive rather than use community transport.

One possible solution to reduce the amount of traffic on the road is for more people to use community transport. What do students think about this solution?

Slide 3 of the presentation shows a range of current community transport methods. Students will work in pairs or small groups to discuss the pros and cons of each method.

You may like to go through one type of transport as a class and then ask the students to go through the remaining individually or in groups.

This feedback can be used to compile a class list of criteria that community transport needs to fulfil in the future e.g. sustainable (materials used to make the transport, the infrastructure needed as well as the fuel used), low pollution, use of renewables, low energy consumption (high energy efficiency), cheap, fast, good networks and frequent service.

Ask students to consider anything else that we need in order to improve community transport. Examples include improving the infrastructure (road/rail networks) as well as how efficiently they run.

How long will this activity take?

This is a quick and simple activity that will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.

Tools/resources required

• Projector/whiteboard

Suggested learning outcomes

By the end of this activity students will be able to identify the pros and cons of different types of community transport and they will be able to compile a list of criteria for future community transport.

Download the free What are the pros and cons of using public transport? activity sheet below!

All activity sheets, worksheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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