Transport Minister Andrew Constance wants to do away with timetables. A trial of on-demand buses, trains and ferries run by the private sector is to be rolled out next year.

I scratch my head at this.

A simple operating change could help alleviate congestion on Sydney's crowded trains. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

An on-demand bus, in Manila, is called a "jeepney", a shared taxi that in NSW will sit up to 12 people. This is the most common form of public transport in many developing countries, where they often look and operate in dodgy and unsafe ways.

Nevertheless, if well-regulated and organised they efficiently cover a public transport niche in places such as Hong Kong. So they should be considered a valuable addition to our public transport landscape. The foreseeable additional spin is that apps and other cool IT technology will allow the new shared taxis to optimise pick-up and drop-off routes so they will be convenient, relatively fast and affordable.