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Better public transport. I have kind of an idea in my head, that might be useful to you. How technology can help? - Most of people who do not have their own d

Better public transport. I have kind of an idea in my head, that might be useful to you. How technology can help? - Most of people who do not have their own drive, rely on public transport which is 'generally' overcrowded to reach to their destination. - Now there are people who have vehicle (mostly car) for going to office (downtown like area) which has space for other 3-4 guys? - I always see those empty seats and people on the other side of road waiting for a bus/train (which might be going to same place as that car). - So if we can provide some way of communication between these two, wouldn't that be awesome? As they do travel on approximate same time (like morning 9-10) to same places. - I do think people having vehicle don't have any problem giving ride to others who are sharing same or nearby offices. If they don't have to stop at too many places and wait. How can we implement this? (just a suggestion) - We can divide the whole city in some kind of hexagonal area <cellular towers?>, and then a simple mobile app can connect people travelling to same 'hexagon' maybe? - Each hexagon should cover only 'walkable' area. So if I drop someone anywhere in that hexagon, his/her destination is at max 8-10 mins walk from there. Otherwise he/she might have to use other ways of transport which is not convenient. I think it might change the way people travel in big cities. It would be true People Powered Public Transport then! :) Let me know your views on this.

bglazer 12y ago
This is kind of the idea behind shared taxis, which are sometimes called colectivos or jitneys or a hundred other names. They have a semi-fixed route and will drop you near where you want to be. They don't leave their stop until they have enough people to fill the taxi. I think they're usually independently operated. They're already quite popular in some countries, South America and Africa mostly. I used them in Chile and it was a really nice system, fitting the niche between taxis and buses quite well. However, you had to know the name of the neighborhood you wanted to go to, and there was no automation. I honestly think they could be useful in the US for commuting purposes. Everyone going to the same office park from the same neighborhood could charter a shared taxi and relax instead of drive. Cost would have to be low. I'd use it. Hell, I even had idle thoughts about trying to create it. However, I have neither the capital nor the expertise to make this happen. Edit: also see Demand Responsive Transit (DRT). It's the western name for this, and it's been tried before for various uses. Getting disabled people to the doctor is a common use in the US. Various European cities have tried this for getting people to train stations. In my opinion, it's never been marketed the right way. Also, the big bus/taxi companies that have tried DRT didn't have the vision or will to make it happen. Nor do the municipal governments that have tried.
- mitul_45 12y ago
  Great! Thanks.

bglazer 12y ago

This is kind of the idea behind shared taxis, which are sometimes called colectivos or jitneys or a hundred other names. They have a semi-fixed route and will drop you near where you want to be. They don't leave their stop until they have enough people to fill the taxi. I think they're usually independently operated. They're already quite popular in some countries, South America and Africa mostly. I used them in Chile and it was a really nice system, fitting the niche between taxis and buses quite well. However, you had to know the name of the neighborhood you wanted to go to, and there was no automation. I honestly think they could be useful in the US for commuting purposes. Everyone going to the same office park from the same neighborhood could charter a shared taxi and relax instead of drive. Cost would have to be low. I'd use it. Hell, I even had idle thoughts about trying to create it. However, I have neither the capital nor the expertise to make this happen. Edit: also see Demand Responsive Transit (DRT). It's the western name for this, and it's been tried before for various uses. Getting disabled people to the doctor is a common use in the US. Various European cities have tried this for getting people to train stations. In my opinion, it's never been marketed the right way. Also, the big bus/taxi companies that have tried DRT didn't have the vision or will to make it happen. Nor do the municipal governments that have tried.

mitul_45 12y ago
Great! Thanks.