--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Australia’s biggest cities, public…" description: "\"In Australia’s biggest cities, public transport is generally slow, expensive, not especially reliable and still hideous drain on the public purse. Part..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/tony-abbott-1939_australia_in-australia-s-biggest-cities-public-tra_699980.jpg" --- # In Australia’s biggest cities, public transport is… ![“In Australia’s biggest cities, public transport is generally slow, expensive, not especially reliable and still hideous drain on the public purse. Part of the problem is inefficient, overmanned, union-dominated government run train and bus systems. Mostly though, …there just aren’t enough people…” quote by Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/tony-abbott-1939_australia_in-australia-s-biggest-cities-public-tra_699980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/tony-abbott-1939_australia_in-australia-s-biggest-cities-public-tra_699980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/tony-abbott-1939_australia_in-australia-s-biggest-cities-public-tra_699980.jpg) > “In Australia’s biggest cities, public transport is generally slow, expensive, not especially reliable and still hideous drain on the public purse. Part of the problem is inefficient, overmanned, union-dominated government run train and bus systems. Mostly though, …there just aren’t enough people wanting to go from a particular place to a particular destination at a particular time to justify any vehicle larger than a car, and cars need roads” [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public transport in major Australian cities suffers from high cost, poor reliability, and low demand, compounded by union‑heavy, overstaffed management. **In simple terms:** Transport issues stem from cost, reliability, demand, and management. Key Takeaway Improve efficiency and align services with demand. Themes transport public policy urban planning Mood concerned pragmatic Type policy analytical When to use this quote - city commuting - budget planning - service redesign - public‑private partnerships Key Concepts infrastructure labor relations economics Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could increase ridership? - How can costs be reduced without layoffs? A Different Perspective Union influence may resist necessary reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Bus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bus/) [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Cars Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cars-need-1048958/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Drains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drains/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Hideous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hideous/) [Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify/) [Need Roads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-roads-1655862/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Public Transport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-transport-1030271/) [Purses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purses/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Transport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transport/) [Transport Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transport-generally-5542807/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Vehicle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vehicle/) ## Related quotes > [The cars need to be louder so it goes through your skin and your stomach, like it used to be - and we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/the-cars-need-to-be-louder-so-it-goes-through-your-skin-and-your/) [Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/) > [“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” I started the car and pulled away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-naquin/roads-where-we-re-going-we-don-t-need-roads-i-started-the-car-and/) [R.L. Naquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-naquin/) > [“Cars will need to be designed with whole new ways of thinking. The design of cars will need to adapt to a whole new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/cars-will-need-to-be-designed-with-whole-new-ways-of-thinking-the/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/) > [“I just need to find a new road to take. Not the road everyone else is taking. I need to take one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-telford/i-just-need-to-find-a-new-road-to-take-not-the-road-everyone-else-is/) [Jill Telford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-telford/) > [I try cars; I try them all. Cars need to be sexy, because we're not talking about biscuits here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lapo-elkann/i-try-cars-i-try-them-all-cars-need-to-be-sexy-because-we-re-not/) [Lapo Elkann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lapo-elkann/) > [Where we go we don't need roads, Where we stop nobody knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/far-east-movement/where-we-go-we-don-t-need-roads-where-we-stop-nobody-knows/) [Far East Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/far-east-movement/) > [It's so important to come up with the right specification of cars - they need to be loud, they need to be fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-horner/it-s-so-important-to-come-up-with-the-right-specification-of-cars/) [Christian Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-horner/) > [“where we're going, we don't need roads”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-emmett-brown/where-we-re-going-we-don-t-need-roads/) [Dr. Emmett Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-emmett-brown/) > [I believe there should be some financial incentives to make the right choice: to make them to buy the right car or not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatih-birol/i-believe-there-should-be-some-financial-incentives-to-make-the-right/) [Fatih Birol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatih-birol/) > [People have to make journeys, what we want is people to have alternatives in public transport so that they can make a choice about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/people-have-to-make-journeys-what-we-want-is-people-to-have/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [“If you really want space on public transport you should carry some pornography from the 1970s and a pair of children's safety scissors, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/if-you-really-want-space-on-public-transport-you-should-carry-some/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [I will have failed in this if in five years there are not many more people using public transport and far fewer journeys by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prescott/i-will-have-failed-in-this-if-in-five-years-there-are-not-many-more/) [John Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prescott/) > [Having a police presence on public transport is vital to ensuring customers are safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/having-a-police-presence-on-public-transport-is-vital-to-ensuring/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) > [If I was a Mayor, I would sort the traffic out and that includes public transport. The traffic jams really get on my nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-smith/if-i-was-a-mayor-i-would-sort-the-traffic-out-and-that-includes/) [Delia Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-smith/) > [The problem of getting from home to the metro, BRT or bus stop makes many people take their cars to work. Why not start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-banerjee/the-problem-of-getting-from-home-to-the-metro-brt-or-bus-stop-makes/) [Abhijit Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-banerjee/) ## More by Tony Abbott > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [To move past fear is a cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/to-move-past-fear-is-a-cliche/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I don't think it's a very Christian thing to come in by the back door rather than the front door,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-it-s-a-very-christian-thing-to-come-in-by-the-back-door/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet proven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/whether-carbon-dioxide-is-quite-the-environmental-villain-that-some/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I also think that if you want to put a price on carbon, why not just do it with a simple tax? Why not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-also-think-that-if-you-want-to-put-a-price-on-carbon-why-not-just/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The smart way to improve broadband is not to junk the existing network but to make the most of it. It’s to let a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-smart-way-to-improve-broadband-is-not-to-junk-the-existing/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [It is fit that justice should be administered with great caution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/it-is-fit-that-justice-should-be-administered-with-great-caution/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [This is a government which is proposing to put at risk our manufacturing industry, to penalise struggling families, to make a tough situation worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/this-is-a-government-which-is-proposing-to-put-at-risk-our/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I don't bring religion into the square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-bring-religion-into-the-square/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [What will most certainly happen is that there will be very clear and full communication between the government and independents and minor parties. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/what-will-most-certainly-happen-is-that-there-will-be-very-clear-and/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [All of the people who are using their BlackBerries or their iPhones, Facebook, all of the people who are sitting in cafes and hotels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/all-of-the-people-who-are-using-their-blackberries-or-their-iphones/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I think there is no doubt that the advent of 24/7 news channels, which are voracious in their demand for constant new content, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-advent-of-24-7-news-channels-which/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-only-thing-i-wouldn-t-do-is-sell-my-arse/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Once people come to Australia, they join the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/once-people-come-to-australia-they-join-the-team/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I don't think that my particular religious convictions should be held against me in this campaign any more than the Prime Minister's lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-that-my-particular-religious-convictions-should-be-held/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) [Explore all 196 Tony Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) ## More Australia quotes > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I wanted to have a peaceful married life with my wife, so we both moved to Sydney in Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/i-wanted-to-have-a-peaceful-married-life-with-my-wife-so-we-both/) [Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/) > [It will be nice to play against Australia. It's a great country, and football is getting bigger and bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mata/it-will-be-nice-to-play-against-australia-it-s-a-great-country-and/) [Juan Mata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mata/) > [We don't have any sailors in Australia, we have rowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lexcen/we-don-t-have-any-sailors-in-australia-we-have-rowers/) [Ben Lexcen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lexcen/) > [I think that prosecuting some college kid because she shared a file is a lot like sending somebody to Australia 200 years ago for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-think-that-prosecuting-some-college-kid-because-she-shared-a-file/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Sydney CBD is the eastern city, Parramatta is the central city and Badgerys will be the third city in greater Sydney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/sydney-cbd-is-the-eastern-city-parramatta-is-the-central-city-and/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) > [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [As a young kid you stay up late to watch the Ashes, getting told off for not being in bed, and dream of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/as-a-young-kid-you-stay-up-late-to-watch-the-ashes-getting-told-off/) [Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/) > [I love coming out to Australia, if it weren't so far away I would go all the time. I've worked with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-morillo/i-love-coming-out-to-australia-if-it-weren-t-so-far-away-i-would-go/) [Erick Morillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-morillo/) > [What I appreciated was the fact that the script delved into how Australians were - and still are - condescended to by the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/what-i-appreciated-was-the-fact-that-the-script-delved-into-how/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [Okay the names 360, I run around tipsy. My fellas in Australia all sit with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/360/okay-the-names-360-i-run-around-tipsy-my-fellas-in-australia-all-sit/) [360](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/360/) > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) [Marc Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-morano/) > [I want to be part of the team that wins a Test series in England and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-want-to-be-part-of-the-team-that-wins-a-test-series-in-england-and/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [I was brought up in a Christian home in Australia with a father who was very bold about his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/i-was-brought-up-in-a-christian-home-in-australia-with-a-father-who/) [Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/) [Browse all 1,907 Australia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Australia’s biggest cities, public transport is generally slow, expensive, not especially reliable and still hideous drain on the public purse. 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