Means of Transport: We need transport to travel from place to place. It helps us to visit our friends and relatives who live far away. We also need transport for carrying things from one place to another.
Story of Travelling
Many years ago, Minu’s grandfather used to walk long distances to buy things from shops. There were no buses or cars at that time.
However, there were vehicles that were pulled by animals like horses and bullocks. Those vehicles were called carts. The carts had two big wooden wheels. They had sufficient space for the entire family. They were used only for short distances. They were very slow.
Minu’s grandfather said that after some years he saw people using bicycles. They had two wheels. They were faster than the carts. But only one or two people could go on a bicycle. Bicycles were not suitable for heavy load. Bicycles were made of steel.
Transport Systems
There are three means of transport. They are land, water and air transports.
Land Transport
Buses, cars, jeeps, trains and trucks move on land. They are called land transport.
Trains move on railway tracks made on land. They are one of the fastest means of land transport. Local trains operate within a city and carry passengers. Goods trains transport goods.
Metro rail network is available in Delhi and Kolkata. Metro rails are air conditioned, superfast and superefficient trains.
Water Transport
Ships and boats sail on water. The warships that move on the surface and under the water are called submarines.
Air Transport
Aeroplanes, helicopters and rockets move in the air. Aeroplanes are the fastest and the costliest means of transport. Though a helicopter can carry only a few persons, it is very useful. It can reach difficult places like jungles and high mountains.
It can airlift injured soldiers, people trapped due to natural calamities and carry them to the nearest hospital. It helps to distribute food packets and other relief materials to people stuck in flooded areas.
Other Means of Transport
We have cargo ships and airplanes which carry goods to far off places. They also carry goods from one country to another. A place where people get in or get out of the ship or a place where goods are loaded or unloaded is called a harbour or a port. Aeroplanes land and take off from a place called airport.
We use carts, bicycles, auto rickshaws, cars, jeeps, scooters, buses and local trains to travel within the locality or a little beyond. People use boats for travelling through water.
To travel long distances, we use ships, trains and aeroplanes. They are used for travelling within and outside the country. Buses and cars are also used for travelling from one state to another.
People in desert regions use camels for transport. Camel is known as the ship of the desert.
Today, in some areas of deserts, roads have been made. Vehicles run in those areas and carry goods as well as passengers.
Yaks and horses are also used as means of transport in hilly areas.
Donkeys, horses, camels and bulls are also used for transportation. All these animals also pull carts. Moreover, elephants are used to move logs of wood with their trunks.
