Abstract: The author examines the future development of public transport and the options open to government and society. The benefits of developing transport have transformed society but have brought penalties of environmental pollution in urban and rural areas and with it increasing energy demands to maintain the standard of living. The growth of travel must level off eventually either by natural processes or by government intervention. As this position is approached so the part played by public transport becomes more important. The article examines the part that could be played by public transport at the end of the century, distinguishing between short and long trips. /TRRL/