Quote:
Originally Posted by TakeFive
Just spit-balling here but if more appropriate-sized buses picked passengers up where they lived that's half the problem solved. Along arterial roads it seems logical to stop at apartment complexes - if an app-based ride has been requested.
So you only go where riders are and with (Uber's) algorithm the rider(s) receive an ETA (which can be updated in real time) and are expected to be 'toes to the curb' when bus pulls up. Some apartments at peak times might have half-dozen riders. If the bus fills up after four stops then it's off to the light rail station which solves another huge complaint - too many stops and too much time.
|
The biggest advantage of this approach to transit is it solves the biggest problems for why people don't ride big buses along routes with fixed stops.
- Lack of convenient access is why most people don't even bother
- Too many stops; it takes too long to get to where you need to go
It would take some time, six months to a year for people to become aware of the option, try it, adopt it. During this time the algorithm would continue to collect data on where people are coming from and where they are going which would allow for making adjustments to improve the service.
The ideal is for 15 to 20-passenger vehicles to focus on higher density arterial corridors while 8 to 10-passenger vans focus on serving neighborhoods where the service is desired.
I've even decided on how to handle (introductory) fares. Everybody pays a $2.50 fee plus 25 cents per mile. So if you're going 4 miles it would cost $3.50; if you're going 8 miles it would cost $4.50 and so on. After a year the per mile cost might need to be raised to say 40 or 50 cents a mile which is still very attractive for service that people would actually appreciate.
Just for grins and to demonstrate how different Phoenix is, I spent Friday and Saturday at Home Depot's Garden Center picking out plants to transplant to get me through until end of February, 1st of March. Having previously picked up some Vinca plants I added Snap Dragons, Petunia's and some Celosia which have nice fall colors. When I went back on Saturday to pick up a couple more plants the place was jam-packed and busy. Just goes to show how different life in the desert is.
With my fall cleaning finished and now my planting done, I'm ready to drive.