3 ms·
Lower upfront capital costs. At a higher level of passengers per hour labor costs of needing one driver per bus start to dominate. 70% of mass transit operating
by supertrope 6y ago
Lower upfront capital costs. At a higher level of passengers per hour labor costs of needing one driver per bus start to dominate. 70% of mass transit operating cost in developed countries is staff. A train can have many cars but only one operator. Buses use existing roads and the increased wear of a 35,000 lb vehicle on roads is part of another organization's budget (notice bus stops use concrete instead of asphalt). Methods of improving bus service like more drivers and buses to reduce wait time, and dedicated lanes bring up the cost.
- mikem170 6y agoThat makes sense. And above-ground tracks also make sense as some other replies mentioned, less capital costs. Maybe driver-less buses would be a new sweet spot? Maintain detailed road maps for the driving software instead of tracks?
- vagrantJin 6y ago> Maybe driver-less buses would be a new sweet spot? Maintain detailed road maps for the driving software instead of tracks? Would be a political nightmare. One of these autonomous busses hit a passenger and it becomes a policy nightmare. Public control center gets hacked, its a technical nightmare. To problems like this, sometimes the solution isn't tech.