4 ms·
One word: deadheading. Any time you share a vehicle in time but not in space (only one rider per trip) you've increased congestion due to the trip out to fetch
by JoeAltmaier 3y ago
One word: deadheading.
Any time you share a vehicle in time but not in space (only one rider per trip) you've increased congestion due to the trip out to fetch the person. Net loss every time.
- Nifty3929 3y agoWow, that’s a great point I hadn’t considered before. Thanks!
- MBCook 3y agoSadly the robotaxis are already doing it. They circle around SF because it’s ‘free’ since they don’t have to pay for parking. Taking up road space and causing traffic with no one inside because it’s cheaper to the companies even though it makes things worse for everyone else.
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoThey could be going to pick up their next fare, or driving towards where they predict their next fare to likely be. Same as a normal manned taxi actually.
- fragmede 3y agoIf we define deadheading as any segment on a route a transit vehicle is empty (which is at odds with the definition for deadheading from my flight attendant friends, and my friends who are fans of the greatful dead), and eliminate that, a lot of bus lines are going to become very short, especially late at night.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- 3np 3y agoBuses take more passengers and can still be a net-win by reducing taxi traffic (besides secondary reduction in congestions due to less accidents from intoxicated and tired drivers).
- vkou 3y agoDeadheading at night doesn't create traffic, and if you don't do it, the rest of the network becomes worthless.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y agoBuses typically make several runs along their route in both directions, until they need to go back to the barn for refueling, maintenance, or mileage. So any deadheading they need to arrive or return from that route tends to be a fractional part of the mileage they make on that route. Also, the route taken to and from the barn can be a lower-traffic route than that which the bus covers on its scheduled route. It's also a defined endpoint; if we see these robotaxis meandering around town with nowhere to go, except sometimes a random supercharger port, that is not deadheading, that's lollygagging.
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoA lot of buses will run empty going the non-demand way during rush hour. Like the D-line in Seattle where I live, if you try to catch a bus into downtown around 5 PM, one or two out of service empty buses will pass you by first since I guess metro thinks they are better off getting back to downtown more quickly than servicing off peak demand along the way.
- nytesky 3y agoYeah nightmare scenario: everyone owns a robotic car, no one wants to pay for traffic. Car drives to work, then you send it home rather than pay for parking, and then summon car to pickup from work. So basically dual direction rush hour that stretches for twice as many hours.