Re:Waymo begins driverless rides in San Francisco
by seanmcdirmid on Wednesday March 30, 2022 @06:03PM
(#30861370)
> Mass transit is full of big heavy vehicles running mostly empty on off-peak hours. It's more efficient only at rush hour. I'd expect net efficiency over the full usage is worse, compared to electric cars.
That is really only true in the states right? In other countries with decent mass transit systems, it seems like they are really full during rush hour but only mostly full at other times, utilization is very good. American systems seem to be dysfunctional...probably because cars are more convenient for off peak travel. I can see how door-to-door automated vans or even taxis could fill in off peak travel here, while the big vehicles serve mostly peak demand (in the states, elsewhere it isn't as needed).
Re:Waymo begins driverless rides in San Francisco
by abecedarius on Wednesday March 30, 2022 @06:12PM
(#30861465)
Yeah, I looked up this overview https://www.templetons.com/brad/transit-myth.html and it agrees there's a difference from European/Asian systems.
- Mass transit is full of big heavy vehicles running mostly empty on off-peak hours. It's more efficient only at rush hour. I'd expect net efficiency over the full usage is worse, compared to electric cars.
- As they start making custom robocar hardware, it'll become a mix probably including smaller lighter single-occupancy cars.
- Mass transit ought to become much more useful and attractive given on-demand robocar rides to and from your station.
- (Added:) Congestion pricing becomes more doable for cars that are already networked for other reasons. Congestion pricing is the obvious approach to really solving congestion.