Forms of Transport | Examples, Advantages & Disadvantages

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Hi, welcome to this blog on the topic: Forms of Transport.

Table Of Contents

  1. Forms of Transport system.
  2. Transportation by Land.
  3. Transportation by Air.
  4. Transportation by Rail.
  5. Transportation by pipe line.
  6. Transportation by Water.
  7. Advantages and disadvantages.
  8. Examples.
  9. Revision Questions

There are four major forms of Transport mainly Land, water, air, rail and pipeline.

TRANSPORTATION BY LAND

Transport by land is one of the forms of transport for conveying goods and passengers from one place to another through land. This means of transportation is very good for trading within a country, i.e, home trade. Land transport can be divided into road and rail transport.

  1. Road transport: Road transport is the movement of goods and passengers on road by motor vehicles: buses, trailers, cars, motorcycle, bicycles, tricycles etc. It is the most extensively used of all the means of transportation. In order to be efficient, there must be well constructed road network linking different villages and towns together. There should also be some trans-highways linking countries. The various means of transportation by road available are bus, Lorries, trailers, tankers, bicycles, camel and tricycles.

Advantages of Road Transport

  • Low maintenance cost: The cost of maintaining motor vehicles is low compared to airplanes or ship.
  • Faster on short journey: Road transport is faster on short distance journey, example like Lagos to ibadan. It is relatively a fast means of transportation.
  • Flexible: There is high degree of flexibility since there is no fixed time schedule.
  • Convenience: Goods are delivered at the door of the consumer, i.e, it offers door to door services, which makes it convenient for the owners of the goods.
  • Suitable for perishable Goods: Road transport is suitable for perishable goods, e.g, tomatoes as it is fast and easy accessible.

Disadvantages of Road Transport

  • Not suitable for heavy and Bulky Goods: Road transport is not good for conveying heavy and Bulky goods like machinery and Coal.
  • Not suitable for fragile Goods: Road transport is not good for fragile goods example; glass plates, drinking glasses and mirrors.
  • Slow on long distance: It is slow when long distance is involved.
  • Prone to accidents: Road transport is too prone to accident than other means of transportation.

RAIL TRANSPORT: Rail transport is the means of conveying goods and passengers from one place to another by train. Heavy and bulky goods are carried by train. A train cannot move on ordinary roads but has special routes. It moves on iron tracks known as railway lines. In Nigeria, the Nigerian railway corporation manages the rail system. Two types of trains can easily be identified. These are the passenger train and the goods train

Forms of transport. Rail Transport
Rail Transport

Advantages of Rail System

  1. Suitable for long distance: The real system is good for long distance journey, e.g, Lagos to kaduna.
  2. Standard rate of charges: Goods are weighed and charged at standardised rates.
  3. Suitable for heavy and Bulky Goods: Train is suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods over long distances.
  4. It is very cheap: This is the cheapest means of transportation.

Disadvantages of Rail Transport

  1. It is not flexible: The operation of the rail system is not flexible because it requires special facilities like tracks and terminals.
  2. High cost of operations: The cost of purchasing, constructing and maintaining the train and its track is very high.
  3. Not suitable for perishable Goods: Rail system is not suitable for perishable goods, e.g, tomatoes. This is because rail system is too slow
  4. Slow to short distance: It is slow on short distance.

TRANSPORT BY PIPELINE

transport by pipeline is another forms of transport and a system of transporting gases and liquid products from one place to another through the use of pipelines. Pipelines are constructed or laid underground as means of carrying water, gases and petroleum products. In Nigeria, pipelines are constructed to transport crude oil from warri to kaduna refinery.

Advantages of Transport by Pipeline

  • Low maintenance cost: It is cheap because of low maintenance cost. Large amount of money will not be spent on it.
  • Safe: Since pipes are laid underground, there is less possibility of accident.
  • Continuous flow of Goods: Goods are moved over a long distance without obstruction.
  • Reduce the overcrowding of the Roads: The number of tankers carrying liquid and gases would be greatly reduced on the road.

Disadvantages of Pipeline Transport

  • Prone to leakages and unauthorized tapping: Pipeline transportation can be prone to leakages and unauthorized tapping by the people, as it is the case in the Niger Delta.
  • High cost of construction: The cost of constructing pipelines is very high. A lot of money will be expended on laying the pipes.
  • Easily damaged: Pipeline can be easily damaged during road construction which can lead to wastage.
  • Limited in scope: It is only limited to liquid goods alone, e.g, water. Solid goods cannot be transported by pipeline.

TRANSPORT BY AIR

Transport by air is another forms of transport and the system of moving goods and passengers through the air by airplane, helicopters etc. Air Transport is very fast and comfortable but it is expensive. Air transport has contributed greatly to commercial activities in international trade. Some airlines operating in Nigeria are Nigerian Airways, Belview, okada, ADC, kabo Airlines, Air Peace,

Air transport requires some sophisticated gadget for landing and taking off. Transport by air is operated in the airport. Examples of airport in Nigeria are Kano and Lagos International airports. The various means of transportation by air are: planes, hovercrafts, helicopters, jets, rockets, etc.

Advantages of Air Transport

  1. It is very fast: The speed is very high, hence it is the fastest means of transportation.
  2. Suitable for perishable and fragile Goods: Air Transport is most suitable for perishable, expensive and fragile items.
  3. Comfortable and luxurious: This is by far the most comfortable and luxurious means of transportation.
  4. Suitable for long distances: Air Transport provides a very good means of transport over long distances, e.g, New York to Lagos is over 5,000 km.

Disadvantages of Air Transport

  1. Expensive: The cost of air fare or charges is expensive, e.g. Nigerian to New York cost thousands of naira
  2. It is vulnerable to climate changes: The weather may disrupt flights, hence it is limited by weather conditions.
  3. It is not flexible: Since it travels on schedule, there is high degree of inflexibility.
  4. Unsuitable for heavy and Bulky Goods: Air Transport is not good for moving bulky and heavy goods like machinery.

TRANSPORT BY WATER

Water Transport: Water transport is another forms of transport and is the means of conveying goods and people from one place to another through the rivers, seas or oceans by ships, canoes, etc. This facilitates international trade between different Nations because goods and passengers can be easily transferred. The ports authority is responsible for providing facilities as well as management of the ports. Ships are very large and can carry heavy and Bulky cargoes like cars, trailers and industrial machinery.

Advantages of Water Transport

  1. Suitable for bulky Goods: Ships are used for carrying heavy and Bulky goods, e.g, heavy machinery, from one country to another.
  2. It is safe: Water transport is very safe for carrying goods are passengers as cases of accidents are rare.
  3. May be suitable for perishable Goods: Ship contain refrigerators which can preserve perishable goods, e.g, fish from being spoilt.
  4. It aids international trades: Sea transport greatly aid international trade because goods can be moved from one country to another.

Disadvantages of Water Transport

  1. Slow over long distance: Sea transport is very slow over long distance. A ship can sail from Nigeria to New York for more than three months.
  2. It is expensive to maintain a Ship: The cost of maintaining a ship is very high
  3. Limited in Scope: Water transport is limited to areas where there are water: Rivers, lakes, creeks, Oceans or seas.
  4. It is prone to Perils of the Sea: Sea transport is prone to Perils of the sea, like storm, collision and tempest.
  5. High cost of constructing ports: The cost of constructing and maintaining seaport is very high.
  6. Operations must be supplemented by other means of transport: Sea transport requires other means of transportation to supplement delivery of goods.

Revision Questions

  1. List and discuss the following forms of transport (a) Transport by road (b) transport by air (c) transport by water (d) Rail transport.
  2. State four main forms of transportation system.
  3. Outline the advantages of road transport.
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