Transport

1. Classification of Transport

• Transport can be divided into:
  • Private vs. public (e.g. car vs. bus)
  • Personal vs. freight (people vs. goods)
  • Land, air and sea
• Land transport: cars, trucks, motorbikes (BrE) / motorcycles (AmE), bicycles, trams, underground / tube (BrE) / subway (AmE) / metro, trains.
• Air transport: mainly aeroplanes (BrE) / airplanes (AmE).
• Sea transport: ferries, ocean liners, yachts, ships.

2. Means I use

• I don’t have a car, so I get around on foot / by bus / by tram. To school I usually go by bus / by tram / by underground.
• For longer distances I prefer train / bus / coach / plane depending on price, comfort and speed.
• I sometimes ride a bike because it’s quick, cheap and eco-friendly.

3. Train (rail) – pros & cons

• Pros: city-centre to city-centre, scenic countryside, more room than a bus, you can move around, better for the environment than planes.
• Cons: usually slower / more expensive than other means, old / smelly / dirty carriages (BrE) / passenger cars (AmE).

4. Bus / Coach – pros & cons

• Pros: cheaper, often faster, more comfortable, much greener than flying; on a long-distance coach you can relax and enjoy the scenery.
• Cons: little leg room, can break down, get cramped, get stuck in a traffic jam.

5. Plane – pros & cons

• Pros: fast, quite comfortable on long routes.
• Cons: lots of pollution, long check-in, airports out of town, possible delays / cancellations, can cause ear problems / stomach pain / headache, fear of flying.
• Procedure: be at the airport ~2 hours before, check in luggage, go through security; extra baggage = extra fee.

6. Car – pros & cons

• Pros: freedom (when, where, how much luggage, what music), flexibility to change route.
• Cons: parking, traffic jams, repairs when it breaks down, insurance, petrol (BrE) / gas (AmE), road tolls / motorway sticker (in CZ: dálniční známka).

7. Public transport

• Pros: more economical and convenient than driving alone, better for the environment.
• Cons: limited by schedule, can be crowded.
• Ticket types: single (BrE) / one-way (AmE), return (BrE) / round-trip (AmE), day / monthly / annual pass; students and pensioners get a discount / concession.

8. Behaviour on public transport

• Don’t talk loudly, don’t wear dirty clothes, don’t take two seats, don’t open windows without asking.
• Offer your seat to elderly / disabled / pregnant / small children.
• Smoking is forbidden on all public transport.

9. Key vocabulary (BrE vs AmE)

• aeroplane / airplane, motorbike / motorcycle, underground (tube) / subway, carriage / passenger car, single ticket / one-way ticket, return ticket / round-trip ticket, petrol / gas, motorway / highway, queue / wait in line, hand luggage / carry-on luggage.

10. Useful adjectives

• fast, high-speed, slow, environmentally-friendly, long-distance, direct, safe, comfortable, convenient, efficient, crowded, dangerous, affordable, cheap.

11. Speaking strategy

Start with the classification (private/public, land/air/sea), then describe what you use yourself. Compare two means using A is faster than B, but less comfortable than… Finish with an opinion on the future of transport (electric cars, high-speed rail, fewer flights for the environment).