Post by Steven Dale
When done right, public transit becomes more than just infrastructure. It becomes a symbol and a form of marketing itself. It becomes famous and accomplishes the same thing as any famous building, landmark or museum.
Here then, are eight public transit vehicles/systems that have transcended being merely transportation and are instead signals of sophistication, ingenuity, uniqueness, urbanity and efficiency:
The London Double Decker Bus.
The San Francisco Cable Car.
The Venice Gondolas.
The Paris Metro.
The Bangkok Tuk-Tuks.
The Chicago 'El' Trains.
The New York Roosevelt Island Tram.
The Toronto Island Ferries.
These are just a few of them, but there are certain dozens more. What transit systems do you think are as much marketing as they are transit?
And maybe more importantly, why do you think we spend our time using architecture and monuments as marketing but not infrastructure and public transit?
Creative Commons images by celesteh, Matthew Black, Oneras, ricardo.martin, haemengine, David Paul Ohmer, Doug Letterman & 416style.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
