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I'm liking this idea, particularly as a low-cost, MVP version of Lyft/Uber that could solve some transit needs of people on really tight budgets. A case in poi

by GCA10 7y ago

I'm liking this idea, particularly as a low-cost, MVP version of Lyft/Uber that could solve some transit needs of people on really tight budgets. A case in point: There's a big Safeway grocery store right by the Othello light rail station. If you live a mile or two east of that station, you've got poor grocery shopping choices in your immediate neighborhood, and you'd much rather have access to the Safeway. But walking a mile with two or three bags of groceries is not going to be a pleasant experience, especially for older people or people in poor health. Getting this new van service at an affordable cost means you can get a lot better food and appreciably cheaper food into your life.

TheGRS 7y ago
I'm wondering if Seattle offers something like the LIFT service we have in Portland. If you qualify for the service you can basically order a minibus to your door to take you directly to a destination. Used a lot with the elderly folks at my church. http://news.trimet.org/2018/11/trimet-and-lift-paratransit-service-empower-riders-with-disabilities/ http://news.trimet.org/2018/11/trimet-and-lift-paratransit-s...
- cdubzzz 7y ago
  King County has a fare reduction service for low income riders called ORCA LIFT [0]. They also have a program called DART [1] for ordering a pickup or getting pick ups in areas that are not well covered. Direct pick up for people who need assistance getting to stations and a ride share program where you can essentially rent a van with a group of people [2] are also options. [0] https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca/orca-cards/lift.aspx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca... [1] https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel-options/bus/dart-service.aspx https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel... [2] https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel-options/bus/dart-service.aspx https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel...
dgzl 7y ago
Are tuktuks not an option for Americans?
- bo1024 7y ago
  No, auto-rickshaws aren't common in the U.S. (anywhere, as far as I know). Probably part of the reason is historical, but one problem is the weather in winter. And I'm not sure population of non-drivers is high enough except a couple major cities.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - rayiner 7y ago
    Also they’re hugely polluting.
    - sandworm101 7y ago
      And wildly dangerous. They are arguably more dangerous than riding a motorcycle.
ChuckMcM 7y ago
That use case though, it reads like it only goes too transit not away from transit. So you get a lift to the light rail, get your groceries and get back to the same light rail station and then, ... well it seems you are on you own for getting back to where you started?
- GCA10 7y ago
  It takes a bit of scrolling down in the original article to get all the details, but they have done the decent thing and allowed you to use Via in either direction. From paragraph 16: one end of the trip must be to or from the light rail station within the service area.
- loeg 7y ago
  It's definitely bidirectional. It would be farcical to take people one way to transit and then abandon them for the ride home. Why would you assume one way only? Seattle's not that dystopian.
  - sandworm101 7y ago
    >> It would be farcical to take people one way to transit and then abandon them for the ride home. Like every day I have to work a night shift? All sorts of buses are eager to give me a lift when I want to go to work at 1500 (3pm). Where are they at 0230 when I want to get back home? One-way options are not unusual when it comes to realworld transit systems.
    - GCA10 7y ago
      You're right that late night coverage right now is an issue. I think weekday service stops at 11 p.m., and it doesn't go past the early evening on weekends. But this is a start.
sandworm101 7y ago
>> But walking a mile with two or three bags of groceries is not going to be a pleasant experience, especially for older people or people in poor health. Getting this new van service at an affordable cost means you can get a lot better food and appreciably cheaper food into your life. But how is that any better than the person just owning and using their own car, driving themselves to the train station? If it is only a mile or two, the van is going to have to drive at least a few miles to get to the person, miles that the private vehicle would not have to drive. Maybe the van can pick up multiple people, but for trips lasting only a few minutes I doubt this would ever be commonplace. It might reduce the need for parking at the train station, but a parked car is a lesser evil than a van driving around empty to pick people up.
- GCA10 7y ago
  Some people can't afford to own a car. The bottom 20% of Americans, according to Federal Reserve data, have household income of $16,000 or less, and total net worth of $7,000 or less. Finances get excruciating at that level. So if you're looking to minimize environmental impact, yes, the van puts a little more carbon in the air than having these people stay home all the time. But it makes their quality of life meaningfully better.

by GCA10 7y ago

TheGRS 7y ago

I'm wondering if Seattle offers something like the LIFT service we have in Portland. If you qualify for the service you can basically order a minibus to your door to take you directly to a destination. Used a lot with the elderly folks at my church. http://news.trimet.org/2018/11/trimet-and-lift-paratransit-service-empower-riders-with-disabilities/ http://news.trimet.org/2018/11/trimet-and-lift-paratransit-s...

cdubzzz 7y ago
King County has a fare reduction service for low income riders called ORCA LIFT [0]. They also have a program called DART [1] for ordering a pickup or getting pick ups in areas that are not well covered. Direct pick up for people who need assistance getting to stations and a ride share program where you can essentially rent a van with a group of people [2] are also options. [0] https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca/orca-cards/lift.aspx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca... [1] https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel-options/bus/dart-service.aspx https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel... [2] https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel-options/bus/dart-service.aspx https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/travel...

dgzl 7y ago

Are tuktuks not an option for Americans?

bo1024 7y ago
No, auto-rickshaws aren't common in the U.S. (anywhere, as far as I know). Probably part of the reason is historical, but one problem is the weather in winter. And I'm not sure population of non-drivers is high enough except a couple major cities.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- rayiner 7y ago
  Also they’re hugely polluting.
  - sandworm101 7y ago
    And wildly dangerous. They are arguably more dangerous than riding a motorcycle.

ChuckMcM 7y ago

That use case though, it reads like it only goes too transit not away from transit. So you get a lift to the light rail, get your groceries and get back to the same light rail station and then, ... well it seems you are on you own for getting back to where you started?

GCA10 7y ago
It takes a bit of scrolling down in the original article to get all the details, but they have done the decent thing and allowed you to use Via in either direction. From paragraph 16: one end of the trip must be to or from the light rail station within the service area.
loeg 7y ago
It's definitely bidirectional. It would be farcical to take people one way to transit and then abandon them for the ride home. Why would you assume one way only? Seattle's not that dystopian.
- sandworm101 7y ago
  >> It would be farcical to take people one way to transit and then abandon them for the ride home. Like every day I have to work a night shift? All sorts of buses are eager to give me a lift when I want to go to work at 1500 (3pm). Where are they at 0230 when I want to get back home? One-way options are not unusual when it comes to realworld transit systems.
  - GCA10 7y ago
    You're right that late night coverage right now is an issue. I think weekday service stops at 11 p.m., and it doesn't go past the early evening on weekends. But this is a start.

sandworm101 7y ago

>> But walking a mile with two or three bags of groceries is not going to be a pleasant experience, especially for older people or people in poor health. Getting this new van service at an affordable cost means you can get a lot better food and appreciably cheaper food into your life. But how is that any better than the person just owning and using their own car, driving themselves to the train station? If it is only a mile or two, the van is going to have to drive at least a few miles to get to the person, miles that the private vehicle would not have to drive. Maybe the van can pick up multiple people, but for trips lasting only a few minutes I doubt this would ever be commonplace. It might reduce the need for parking at the train station, but a parked car is a lesser evil than a van driving around empty to pick people up.

GCA10 7y ago
Some people can't afford to own a car. The bottom 20% of Americans, according to Federal Reserve data, have household income of $16,000 or less, and total net worth of $7,000 or less. Finances get excruciating at that level. So if you're looking to minimize environmental impact, yes, the van puts a little more carbon in the air than having these people stay home all the time. But it makes their quality of life meaningfully better.