As part of its mission to transmit the history of the automobile in Algeria, COCKPITdz presents you a file on the History of public transport in Algeria, daily we will publish a series of articles relating to each type of urban public transport from the end of the 19th century to the present day.
We have classified the order of diffusion in alphabetical order of the most popular means of transport in Algeria and is as follows:
Hovercraft
Bus
Metro
Monorail
Rail
Taxi
Tramway
Cable transport (cable cars and gondolas)
Trolley
But before talking about the history of urban public transport in Algeria, we will tell you about its history in the world.
Urban public transport It was invented in France in 1662 by Blaise Pascal. He obtained from Louis XIV the privilege of founding a public carriage company for the operation of five "routes" (lines) with horse-drawn carriages that were made available to the public for a fee. This service was quickly followed by similar transport services in other European cities.
The first steam-powered public transport service was introduced in England in 1820. The service was operated by George Shillibeer and used a steam omnibus to transport passengers between Paddington and Bank in London.
The first public bus system was introduced in Nantes, France, by Stanislas Baudry in 1826. These omnibuses (from the Latin for "for all") were horse-drawn carriages that could carry up to 16 passengers. The public response was enthusiastic and the idea quickly caught on.
The 1830s saw the introduction of trams in cities around the world. These early trams were drawn by horses and were known as horse-drawn carriages. By the late 1800s, many cities had replaced their tram systems with electric trams.
The first trams were operated in the United States of America, but the exact date of their appearance is uncertain. It is known that the circulation of omnibuses in the 1820s and 1830s was particularly difficult on roads in poor condition. It therefore seemed desirable to find a more regular rolling system and the idea of using rails came naturally. The first omnibuses running on rails that were then projecting appeared around 1832 in New York (Harlem). The new vehicle was called the "Streetcar". The improvement was notable and other networks were built in the United States. But the profile of the projecting rail hindered general traffic and the idea was temporarily abandoned.
In 1852, a French entrepreneur, Alphonse Loubat, living in the United States, had the idea of improving the rail so that it was embedded in the roadway. Thus, the inconvenience and danger of the projecting rail was eliminated. A new line was built on Broadway in New York. The success of the new system gave the tramways opportunities for rapid development and several cities built their network (Boston, Philadelphia ...).
The Taxi as we know it today appeared with the advent of the automobile.
In 1897, Gottlieb Daimler built the world's first taxi, the Daimler Victoria. The taxi was equipped with the new taximeter. On June 16, 1897, the Daimler Victoria taxi was delivered to Friedrich Greiner, a Stuttgart entrepreneur who founded the world's first motorized taxi company.
In Paris, in 1899, entrepreneur Georges Bouton introduced the first internal combustion engine taxi capable of carrying up to four passengers and in 1904, Louis Renault launched a first two-cylinder model in Paris focused on the taxi.
The first subway system opened in New York City in 1902. The line ran from City Hall to Harlem and used electric trains. This was soon followed by the opening of subway systems in other major cities, including London and Paris.
The first modern commuter train service was introduced in Japan in 1956. The service, known as the Tōkaidō Main Line, ran between Tokyo and Osaka and used high-speed trains. This service set the standard for modern commuter train systems around the world.
In 2009, the appearance in a new form of the V.T.C. and new name Tourist Vehicle with Driver and now even Without Driver, broadened the offer of public transport by making it customizable and fast, in particular thanks to modern communication tools and new legislation.
Thus, since all this time, public transport has not stopped reinventing itself.
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