4 ms·

Small, route-constrained mass transit vehicles would solve 80% of this with 20% of the cost. We could call them trollies or buses.

avalys 5y ago
And 10% of the convenience, comfort and utility of having your own car. Cities already have buses. Rural areas don’t want them.
- floxy 5y ago
  Why don't we have an Uber for buses yet? Has this been tried anywhere? Not necessarily a for-profit company, but an app that people could use that would offer potentially better routes / trip times. So the bus wouldn't have to hit locations where no-one was getting picked up / dropped off, etc..
  - bryanlarsen 5y ago
    It has been tried in a few places. Here's one: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/uber-lyft-ride-hailing-on-demand-public-transit-1.4842699 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/uber-lyft-ride-hailing-on-d...
  - janfoeh 5y ago
    I'm using these a couple of times a month: https://www.moia.io/en https://www.moia.io/en
- dml2135 5y ago
  I think that's the key. If self-driving cars ever reach a level of ubiquity, it's going to be on large, open roads and highways. Urban areas will still require a human driving.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- falcolas 5y ago
  > Rural areas don’t want them. Da'fuq? Rural areas love and use the heck out of buses - school buses. As for me, I'd love to have a bus which came within 3 miles of my "rural" neighborhood. Save on gas, insurance, and be able to read when I have to commute to the office?
  - dymk 5y ago
    I can't remember the last time I used a school bus to get to the grocery store or park
    - falcolas 5y ago
      I know. It's strange how they have such great coverage for kids, but decide that it's not worth it for adults with adult money.
- rich_sasha 5y ago
  I wonder how good “public transport” could be if it matched the money inflows of private cars. Possibly amazing. Think customisable bus routes, cheap subsidised taxis, a fast bus every small-n minutes and so on. Clearly we won’t find out as it’s a massive sunk cost, but I think this alternative reality could be great. Having lived in places with both amazing and terrible public transport, I understand the skeptics, but also know just how amazing public transport can be.
  - tim333 5y ago
    In London the cost of public transport is comparable to running a car. The end result is meh. It works ok but with the usual drawbacks.
    - rich_sasha 5y ago
      Yes, I wouldn't put London on the "great" pile. Adequate. Tube is OK for longer distance, but the friction of getting on and off is a pain. Buses have to crawl through heavy traffic and pedestrians everywhere. Warsaw in Poland IMHO has very good public transport. Reliable, timely, used to be cheap when I lived there (not sure how much it went up). Never struggled to get from A to B.
    - aiisjustanif 5y ago
      Idk what prices you are paying.
      - tim333 5y ago
        It varies but a zone 1/2 annual travel pass is £1,444 presently.
throw10920 5y ago
Excellent vehicles for facilitating a pandemic - packing many passengers from different social circles together in an enclosed space.
- dangom 5y ago
  Not if the air is filtered. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2771435 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/27714...

avalys 5y ago

And 10% of the convenience, comfort and utility of having your own car. Cities already have buses. Rural areas don’t want them.

floxy 5y ago
Why don't we have an Uber for buses yet? Has this been tried anywhere? Not necessarily a for-profit company, but an app that people could use that would offer potentially better routes / trip times. So the bus wouldn't have to hit locations where no-one was getting picked up / dropped off, etc..
- bryanlarsen 5y ago
  It has been tried in a few places. Here's one: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/uber-lyft-ride-hailing-on-demand-public-transit-1.4842699 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/uber-lyft-ride-hailing-on-d...
- janfoeh 5y ago
  I'm using these a couple of times a month: https://www.moia.io/en https://www.moia.io/en
dml2135 5y ago
I think that's the key. If self-driving cars ever reach a level of ubiquity, it's going to be on large, open roads and highways. Urban areas will still require a human driving.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
falcolas 5y ago
> Rural areas don’t want them. Da'fuq? Rural areas love and use the heck out of buses - school buses. As for me, I'd love to have a bus which came within 3 miles of my "rural" neighborhood. Save on gas, insurance, and be able to read when I have to commute to the office?
- dymk 5y ago
  I can't remember the last time I used a school bus to get to the grocery store or park
  - falcolas 5y ago
    I know. It's strange how they have such great coverage for kids, but decide that it's not worth it for adults with adult money.
rich_sasha 5y ago
I wonder how good “public transport” could be if it matched the money inflows of private cars. Possibly amazing. Think customisable bus routes, cheap subsidised taxis, a fast bus every small-n minutes and so on. Clearly we won’t find out as it’s a massive sunk cost, but I think this alternative reality could be great. Having lived in places with both amazing and terrible public transport, I understand the skeptics, but also know just how amazing public transport can be.
- tim333 5y ago
  In London the cost of public transport is comparable to running a car. The end result is meh. It works ok but with the usual drawbacks.
  - rich_sasha 5y ago
    Yes, I wouldn't put London on the "great" pile. Adequate. Tube is OK for longer distance, but the friction of getting on and off is a pain. Buses have to crawl through heavy traffic and pedestrians everywhere. Warsaw in Poland IMHO has very good public transport. Reliable, timely, used to be cheap when I lived there (not sure how much it went up). Never struggled to get from A to B.
  - aiisjustanif 5y ago
    Idk what prices you are paying.
    - tim333 5y ago
      It varies but a zone 1/2 annual travel pass is £1,444 presently.

throw10920 5y ago

Excellent vehicles for facilitating a pandemic - packing many passengers from different social circles together in an enclosed space.

dangom 5y ago
Not if the air is filtered. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2771435 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/27714...