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The Shared Taxi
Summary
The problem of the private automobile has seemed intractable for
decades. Recently a number of technologies have matured that will give
rise to the Shared Taxi, for the first time a viable alternative to the
private automobile for urban transportation. The Shared Taxi solves
environmental problems by decreasing carbon dioxide emission and
dependency on petroleum products.
The automobile problem
Mass use of automobiles in cities has for decades been responsible for
increasingly serious and persistently intractable problems: cost of
highways and parking areas, both in money and in damage to urban
amenity, air pollution, and noise. As the rising need for provisions
for the handicapped proves, our dominant mode of transportation
extracts a heavy toll in suffering and cost in terms of lifelong
disability. Moreover, for the individual user of the automobile,
freedom of transportation is beset with problems such as traffic
congestion, the need to chauffeur children and those, inebriated or
not, who have consumed alcohol. In addition, many are forced to drive
for lack of alternatives, even though they do not feel confident in
doing so under commonly occurring conditions such as heavy traffic on
multilane expressways, darkness, rain, snow, and so on.
The above considerations are almost universally agreed upon. Usually
the conclusion is the need for a mass transit system of advanced
technology and extremely high cost. Even if the cost were not a
problem, a mass transit based on rail or large buses solves only part
of the problem; it does not help one to get to the bus or metro stop
with ones shopping. The frequent need to change causes delays that
annul the higher speed of trains.
Before considering such solutions we should realize the dismally low
level of utilization in a transportation system based on the private
automobile. A quick count reveals that most cars have one rider. Of the
remaining, the majority has two. Even if the cars with two riders were
serving the transportation needs of two, the utilization rate would be
very low. But a good proportion of cars with two occupants only serve
the need of one, the other being there to drive the car back. Hence
their effective utilization rate is one. Similarly, the effective
utilization rate of many vehicles with a single rider is zero, this
rider being on her or his way to pick someone up, or returning from
dropping someone off.
Therefore a system that would increase the average effective
utilization rate to two or three would be a spectacular improvement,
and might be all improvement we need. I will argue that this is
possible by an investment in existing technology that is negligible
compared with the investment required for improvements in mass transit,
not to speak of new transit systems.
The alternative that I advocate is the Shared Taxi, a service providing
door-to-door transportation in a minivan or standard sedan. Pick-up is
within a few minutes of the phone call requesting the transportation.
The ride is shared with others, but no more than a small number, say,
three, of stops for others is guaranteed for every rider. In the
remainder of this note I show that the technologies enabling such a
service are already in widespread use.
Mobile communication and navigation aids
In recent years many taxis have been fitted with an automated radio
communication system that allows the driver to transmit location and
availability information to the dispatcher by pressing a few keys on a
console mounted on the dashboard. This is an important advance, as
scarce radio bandwidth is more efficiently used, while interference
with driving is decreased.
This is just one technologically very modest advance, that is already
in use on a large scale. Already on the market, though not yet widely
used, is a plethora of more sophisticated devices that make deeper use
of the recent revolution of mobile radio communication of which
cellular phones and satellite-based navigation are examples.
This technology enables a dispatcher to closely track and efficiently
schedule a large fleet of vehicles.
Telephone registration
Telephone registration is another example of a recently introduced
technology that is now widely used. A common application is a computer
program that automates registration by telephone for a university's
courses. The computer system answers the phone and interacts with the
student by means of prerecorded voice messages. These messages inform
the student whether a course is open for registration and instruct her
or him to enter information by pressing dialing keys on the phone's
handset.
Computer-based telephone switches
Booking a ride can be considerably simpler than registering for a
course. This is so because the recent computerization of telephone
switches makes it possible to provide to a callee with a detailed
description of the location of the calling phone. In this way, the
caller only needs to indicate destination, number of persons travelling
and possibly the presence of unusual amounts of luggage. Thus, the
Shared Taxi system needs no computer terminal in the client's home;
only a phone.
Regulatory improvement
Part of the civilized life that we prize seems to be the need for transportation services to be licensed by government. Thus taxis need to be licensed and
are barred from picking up another passenger when there is already one on board. Such regulation legislates explicitly against Shared Taxis. However,
there are examples of more enlightened government. When I travelled from San Francisco airport to a downtown hotel, I travelled on a minibus shared by
other passengers. I was guaranteed at most three stops for others on the way.
An opportunity for environment improvement
Environmental considerations make it desirable to convert vehicles from
gasoline or diesel to other fuels that emit less carbon dioxide,
pollutants. Any variation from the currently conventional fuels
requires a greater capital outlay. The low utilization that is typical
of the private automobile rules such improvements out. The high
utilization of the Shared Taxi provides a welcome opportunity to make
environmentally necessary changes.
Other benefits of the Shared Taxi
One of the most serious problems with private automobiles is the high
accident rate. This is almost entirely caused by bad drivers and poorly
maintained cars. With the low utilization typical of private
automobiles, proper maintenance is a heavy burden. With the high
utilization that goes with a Shared Taxi system, such maintenance is
much easier to bear. Moreover, with a drastically reduced number of
vehicles, inspection can be more rigorous.
Among drivers there is an enormous variation in driving safety. Under a
Shared Taxi system, nonprofessional drivers are an exception. Licensing
can therefore be much stricter and can be run similarly to that for
airline pilots, requiring periodic re-testing.
Many people are unduly stressed by driving, especially under difficult
conditions. A Shared Taxi system will relieve many of this burden.
Conclusion
Although the mass use of private automobiles causes many serious
problems, alternatives have for decades proved infeasible. A number of
technologies are coming into use that will combine to provide the
alternative that has so far proved elusive. This alternative, which I
call Shared Taxis, depend on existing improvements in mobile radio
communication, satellite navigation, computerized telephone switches
and telephone registration to provide a transit system that is as
flexible as the private automobile in favourable circumstances without
its high financial and other costs.
In addition, Shared Taxis facilitate transition to environmentally less
damaging fuel and propulsion technology.
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