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Buses and subways cannot operate door to door. That is a fundamental service restriction which will always create a need for personal transit. People with acces

Buses and subways cannot operate door to door. That is a fundamental service restriction which will always create a need for personal transit. People with accessibility needs, safety concerns or timing restrictions create a legitimate and important market for door-to-door personal transportation. Buses are also inherently less efficient outside of peak operating hours. Why should we operate a fleet of million-dollar, high energy consumption buses looping practically empty late at night? A fleet of cars would far better suit the transportation demands for off-peak small scale transport. Cars as a service are also easy for a local government to subsidize so that lower income riders can access the benefits.

astrange 5y ago
You should visit Tokyo when they let you back in. If your city lets you get a car up to every door, it's not dense enough.
- pishpash 5y ago
  Do Tokyo'ians enjoy being packed like sardines, other than the fact that they have no choice over it?
  - astrange 5y ago
    You're confusing density with overcrowding. They don't have roommates, making it strictly nicer than SF. Also, Tokyo is the best city in the world, so yes. The rural areas are depopulating because nobody wants to live there more than a lack of work. There are suburbs for families too, but they're still transit-oriented. (Not that Japan is against cars. They just don't do all their transportation with them.)
mlindner 5y ago
If taxicabs can function in the evenings during low demand hours then we can replace those with these robocabs. In Tokyo that's the case as well for when after the busses and trains stop running. In terms of subsidization, we've had enough problems in the US from the US picking winners with the interstate highway system to the detriment of railway. They shouldn't subsidize anything and let the market handle things. There will be a small demand for robocabs but most will still want to own a car, if they want a car at all.

astrange 5y ago

You should visit Tokyo when they let you back in. If your city lets you get a car up to every door, it's not dense enough.

pishpash 5y ago
Do Tokyo'ians enjoy being packed like sardines, other than the fact that they have no choice over it?
- astrange 5y ago
  You're confusing density with overcrowding. They don't have roommates, making it strictly nicer than SF. Also, Tokyo is the best city in the world, so yes. The rural areas are depopulating because nobody wants to live there more than a lack of work. There are suburbs for families too, but they're still transit-oriented. (Not that Japan is against cars. They just don't do all their transportation with them.)

mlindner 5y ago

If taxicabs can function in the evenings during low demand hours then we can replace those with these robocabs. In Tokyo that's the case as well for when after the busses and trains stop running. In terms of subsidization, we've had enough problems in the US from the US picking winners with the interstate highway system to the detriment of railway. They shouldn't subsidize anything and let the market handle things. There will be a small demand for robocabs but most will still want to own a car, if they want a car at all.