Advantages and Disadvantages of Road Transport | Why Road Transport? Benefits and Drawbacks, Merits and Demerits 

Advantages and disadvantages of Road transport: Today, our modern world deals with globalization that has made the whole world a small village. Globalization has few support systems, one of them being transport. Transport is a facility provided by an individual to move an object or person from one place to another. There are various means of transport like road transport, railway transport, waterways, and airways. Let us discuss each one of them.

1. Roadways– when transportation is done through roads, it is known as roadways.
2. Railways: Just like road transport, railways with the help of tracks on various uneven or plain land transport the goods and people from one place to another.
3. Airways: These are considered the fastest means of transport and the medium through which it transports goods and services is air.
4. Waterways: Medium through which goods and persons are transported is water then it is known as waterways.

Students can also find more Advantages and Disadvantages articles on events, persons, sports, technology, and many more.

What is Road Transport? Advantages and Disadvantages of Road Transport 2022

Road transport is the most used transport facility used by maximum people in the world. When goods or people are transported from one place to another using the road as a medium it is known as road transport. To drive a vehicle on the road we need a license for two-wheelers or four-wheelers, whatever is needed at that time of a person. A person if caught without a license would often be punishable either with the penalty or imprisonment.

• Advantages of Road Transport
• Disadvantages of Road Transport
• Comparison Table for Advantages And Disadvantages of Road Transport
• FAQ’s on Pros and Cons of Road Transport

Importance of Road Transport

Let us see what are the various importance of road transport.

1. Road transport provides service at the doorstep: Road transport is a convenient way to provide door-to-door services.
2. Easily connects any part of the nation: Unlike railways, road transport connects every part of the nation even the remote areas are reachable by road.
3. No heavy investment: Road facility doesn’t require a huge amount of capital or investment to operate.
4. Flexible: As compared to other modes of transport road transport is flexible as it can be developed according to the needs of people.
5. Importance of roads in defence services: Defense services can have easy access to remote areas with the help of road transport.

Advantages of Road Transport

Road transportation is most commonly used to transport heavy goods and materials from one place to another. It is one of the cheapest means of transport. Listed below are a few advantages of road transport.

Let us briefly go through each point.

1. Less Investment: Road transport requires less investment as compared to the other modes of transport. Other modes are much more expensive due to their increased investment. A person can travel a large distance with less cost.
2. Door-to-door services: The services of road transport are door-to-door implies that goods or people will reach directly the home or site whichever is provided without any extra cost. This door-to-door service is catered by many other companies who supply their product to the consumer as well as people can also be directly transported to their places.
3. Low risk: The damage caused by road transport is much less than other means of transport. Therefore less risk is involved in road transport.
4. Easy access to remote areas: Roads, whether in good condition or not, can give easy access to remote areas of a nation. For e.g. railways, aeroplanes, and waterways are not available in all the areas of a nation, but roads help goods and personnel access any part of the nation that too at a low cost.
5. Provide support to other modes of transport: Whether railways, airways, or waterways, every mode has to be reached by roads by any person. Therefore road transport provides aid to other modes of transport. For e.g. to reach the railway station, one has to reach the railway platform through a road transport facility.
6. Flexibility according to its user: Road transport is a flexible means of transport that is available to its user anytime and according to their convenience. But other modes of transport have to be punctual in their timing to reach the destination on time, so they are a rigid form of transport.
7. The cost of maintenance is low Road transport can be maintained at a low cost as the vehicle is available at cheap rates as compared to trains and aeroplanes. Thus the cost of maintaining a vehicle is less compared to the other modes of transport.

Disadvantages of Road Transport

Listed are a few disadvantages of road transport below. Although road transport is the best way of transport because it is convenient based on timings. A person can easily take his car or vehicle to move from one place to another without depending on other means of transport. Even there are many buses through which a passenger can travel at his convenient time. Still, there are a few disadvantages of using road transportation, such as

Let us briefly go through the topic one by one.

1. Slower than other modes of transport: Road transport is considered slow means of transport as it takes more time than other modes of transport. People who want to travel in less time generally opt for airways or railways.
2. Break down of vehicles: Road transport gets to break down soon due to continuous use and obsolescence. Proper maintenance is required for the smooth running of the vehicle. On-road, transport vehicles can break down at any point in time. Therefore, one needs to take proper care of vehicles.
3. Unpredictable damages: Vehicles can get damaged due to any reason, and any part of the vehicle can get damaged, such as a tire, engine, or breaks. Thus the damages are unpredictable when they will occur and what damages they may have.
4. Not suitable for long-distance delivery: A long-distance delivery not only costs a person high but also the amount of the goods may increase. Thus whenever goods are transported over a long distance, there can be chances of rising in the price of the goods as well, as the risk of damage is also high.
5. Heavy loads are expensive on the road: Heavy loaded goods, because of the risk involved, are expensive. That’s why people prefer railways over roadways for heavy loads. But still, in India, heavy load trucks run over highways that are also at risk.
6. Different climates can affect its working: Roadways are affected a lot due to heavy rain, fog, and other extreme weather; thus, people who opt for roadways also have to see the environmental condition before traveling on the road.

Comparison Table for Advantages And Disadvantages of Road Transport

FAQ’s on Pros and Cons of Road Transport

Question 1.
What are the modes of transport?

Answer:
There are mainly three modes of transport.

1. Air
2. Water
3. Land

Question 2.
When is Road Transport used most?

Answer:
Road transport is mostly used over short distances. This is because road transport gets damaged very soon and are also at risk of climatic condition.

Question 3.
What are the advantages of road transportation?

Answer:
The advantages of road transport are Less investment, Door to door services, Low-risk Easy access to remote areas, Provide support to other modes of transport, Flexibility according to the user, cost of maintenance is low.

Question 4.
What are the disadvantages of road transportation?

Answer:
The disadvantages of road transportation are Slower than other modes of transport,  Breakdown of vehicles, Unpredictable damages, Not suitable for long-distance delivery, Heavy loads are expensive on the road, Different climates can affect their work, and Potholes cause the risk of accidents.

Question 5.
Which transport is very expensive?

Answer:
Airways are the most expensive and fastest means of transport.