Last week, I was sad to read in my local paper that an airport shuttle service was closing down after 35 years in the business.  In the Asbury Park Press, you can read the story entitled “Olympic Airporter succumbs to sour economy”.

They will stop operating this Friday (June 19, 2009).  It is a real shame to learn that this inexpensive alternative to taxis or parking at the airport will no longer be available.  Look at some of the many benefits of their service:

• Convenience
• Save gasoline
• Reduce traffic
• Provide good employment
• Help local economy

They currently run 19 trips per day utilizing a fleet of 90 vehicles to service about 16,500 passengers a month.  That is over 500 people a day or almost 200,000 a year.

Now what are their clients options?  They can try other limo companies, but will probably pay more.  They can drive themselves, adding to traffic and paying almost $20 a day to park at the airport.  Or they could share rides.  If all the people that utilized this service got together on a ride sharing web site, they could help each other.  At least something good could come out of this bad situation.

Finally, my heart goes out to the 128 full and part-time employees at Olympic Airporter.  I wish them the best in finding new employment with these difficult economic conditions.

photo credit: Joi

Saw an interesting story this week entitled Public Transportation 2.0 by Tara Brown.  She shines a light on how web technology can improve our experience with public transit and keep us informed of any alerts.

The story highlights some of the recent innovations in the Bay Area, but this must also be happening elsewhere.  They are using Twitter to send text messages directly to your phone.  The messages can be about delays on your train or the arrival time of the next bus.  This is a great way to apply new technology to an old problem.

Now the story does not end there.  Apparently another writer at this blog, Mark Pritchard, was also inspired by Tara’s story and he posted Public Transportation 2.1 as a response.  He makes a very good case for small battery powered autocabs to supplement trains and buses.

On his daily commute, he could take the train into the city, but then how does he travel the last 2 plus miles to his office?  It is too far to walk and a bus would double his total commuting time.  So, he like most commuters just drives his own car every day.  Now here is someone who wants to take public transportation, but it is just not convenient for him.

He then goes on to detail the problem of there not being enough taxis and why they don’t really fit for these short ad hoc rides.  He has an idea for autocabs that works because one of these can replace many cars and solve the parking dilemma in most cities.  They would nicely fill the gap in getting you to a transit hub from your point of origin and then from another transit hub to your destination.

I think Pay4Rides could also greatly benefit from a texting service.  Imagine a host site that could accept ride requests and text drivers for availability.  The driver could text back to accept the request and the host server could text the rider with a confirmation.  Now instead of developing a fleet of battery powered autocabs, we could just employ the autos that are already on the road.

WIBNI (Wouldn’t it be nice if)?

photo credit: numberstumper

On Monday night, I saw a story on my local Fox news explaining a proposal by Mayor Bloomberg for Shared Cab Rides Coming to NYC.  This would allow riders to share cabs so they each pay less while the cabbie actually earns more.  So instead of just providing one ride for $25, the driver could charge 2 riders $20 each or maybe 3 riders would pay $15 each.  And don’t forget the tips.

By permitting cab drivers to pick up additional fares, they could attract new riders who might not choose a cab if they had to pay the full fare themselves.  The Mayor said that a shared-ride system is a win-win for the city.

Think of all the people landing at NYC area airports who need rides to the city.  Grouping riders not only makes financial sense, but would also reduce traffic, cut gasoline consumption and help the environment.  Is there anything not to like?

The only problem is many people do not like to share, they prefer their privacy.  I can understand this, but wouldn’t all of these benefits offset the slight inconvenience of losing some personal space?  Most cab rides are relatively short, so it should not be that hard to tolerate another passenger.  If you do not want to talk, plug in your iPod and listen to some of your favorite music to pass the time.

So maybe next time you hail a cab, you will have some company for the ride.  Think about it, wouldn’t sharing a ride make the trip in a cab fair?

photo credit: timpearce4816

This week the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) announced a proposal for double-digit fare hikes and cuts in service.  Just what we need in these tough economic times, they are going to charge you more for less.

The hikes are needed to cover a $1.4 billion deficit in the budget passed by the MTA board in December.  The fares for Metro North would increase more than 25 percent while subway and bus fares could rise from $2 to $3.  Other fares and tolls could also increase including weekly and monthly MetroCards.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan says the increases are unacceptable and he will work to avoid these changes.  I am not sure how he will do this unless state or federal funds can be found to cover the costs.

Now what is the average commuter supposed to do?  They still have to get to work and what other options do they have?  This is where I think Pay4Rides offers a very viable alternative to our current mass transit system.  I think we all deserve a choice.

What do you think of the proposed increases?

photo credit: Pro-Zak

Is there anything worse than being stranded at an airport?  When heavy snow storms cause the airlines to cancel flights, many people find themselves in this terrible position.

This week the Northwest was getting pounded and many travelers were left with no choice but to sleep in the terminals.  Their luggage was already checked in, so it was difficult to leave even if they wanted to.  When your flight is cancelled, what choice do you really have?  I hate being in a position where I have little or no control over my options.

So what can we do about it?  Once a heavy storm hits, there is not a lot that you can do.  In order to avoid this type of situation, we need to take proactive action.  These storms are forecasted in advance, but the inflexibility and limited capacity of airlines, buses and trains make it difficult to change travel plans.  Read this story of some travelers desperately trying to get home, but continuously frustrated in their attempts.

If you knew a storm was coming, wouldn’t be nice to have an option like Pay4Rides available?  Instead of spending lots of money on a hotel room or sleeping in terminal, you could pay a driver to take you where the weather is better and you can easily make other arrangements.  This would cost a lot less than renting a car one way.

On shorter flights, I would even argue that Pay4Rides could be faster and definitely cheaper.  When flying, you have to:

1. Drive to the airport
2. Park
3. Check in
4. Pass through airport security
5. Wait for take off
6. Fly
7. Land
8. Go through baggage claim
9. Get from the airport to your actual destination

If you could pay one or several drivers to get you from point A to point B, it would be a very attractive alternative.   An organized ride system would offer many more options and allow you to get to your destination without spending a night or two on the airport terminal floor.  I am sure the people in Seattle this week would agree.

photo credit: lunchtimemama

I saw this article last month about NJ Transit suspending the purchase of natural gas buses.  They had been buying some low-polluting buses over the last 10 years, but will discontinue any new acquisitions due to the overall costs.  The story quotes Dan Stessel, a NJ Transit spokesman:

“If we were to move to CNG (compressed natural gas) on a wide scale, it would require millions and millions of dollars of capital improvements”

They say they will consider CNG in the future, but right now it is more cost effective to purchase new ultra-low diesel buses.  NJ Transit plans on replacing half of its’ fleet and buying 1,145 of the diesel buses at a cost of $330,000 each.  Some quick math yields almost $380 million dollars being spent.

NJ Transit should be commended for this 10 year trial period, but why stop now?  It seems very short sighted.  If that is the case, then I would argue that this amount of money could be better utilized by investing in Passenger Energy.  Now a bus carrying 40 people is more efficient than 10 cars carrying 4 people each.  Except for one thing, the 10 cars are making the trip anyway as single passenger vehicles.  So while the people riding the bus are not using their own vehicles, many others are.

If we could move bus riders into the unused capacity of the cars, it would immediately reduce traffic, save fuel and cut carbon emissions.  Many cars are traveling the exact same routes as the buses for the majority of the trip.  So cars could carry passengers the bulk of the trip and then buses move people to their local stops.  Car drivers could earn some extra cash by picking up passengers who in turn save money on bus fares.  This seems so obvious to me if we could just get past our fear of strangers.  Any ideas on how we can do that?

photo credit: Kriston Lewis

Taxis - they will pick-up or chose not to pick-up any passenger

Limos – you accept a ride with a complete stranger at a very high cost

Why do we trust a taxi or limo driver that we do not know?

• Registered driver
• It’s his job

photo credit: aturkus

If most people are comfortable getting a ride in a taxi with a strange driver, then why not accept a ride with another person?  If every driver was registered and rated, there would be a lot less uncertainty.

Traditional mass transit includes buses, trains and airlines.  They are each a superb way to move many people over distance in an efficient manner, but they are struggling to keep up with growing demand.

Given the strengths of each there are also glaring weaknesses:

• Buses - limited schedules and routes with no flexibility
• Trains - not available in many areas and limited parking
• Airlines - rising costs and more flights are delayed

One of the truly great benefits of mass transit is the ability to do other things during your trip.  Passenger Energy also brings this benefit and allows riders to work, read or comfortably utilize portable electronics.

photo credit: dennis.vetu

Passenger energy with mass transit:

• Get a ride to/from bus or train stations
• Save on parking
• People could be waiting at station (like taxis) to offer ride(s)