Emerging Transport Technologies
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- Multimodal, app based transport information
| Finally, in some cities in North America and Israel, so-called pop up transit has emerged (e.g. Bridj), in the form of an on-demand bus service. In the past, on demand transport has very often failed, often due to staff (driver) costs (Enoch, 2015), although this may change as driverless vehicles become available. Even before commercial availability of driverless vehicles, the increased efficiencies that link riders with vehicles via GPS enabled smartphones may prove to bring the commercial viability of these services to a self-sustaining level (costs are met by revenue). Bridj, which run services in Boston and Washington, D.C. is a form of high quality shuttle (self-described as ‘pop up transit’), that enables users to request rides with their smartphone. The service can be requested days or minutes in advance and go to a pick up spot to meet the shuttle, which can be tracked in real time. Once on the shuttle, services are semi-express and passengers have access to Wi-Fi.
Whilst it is unlikely on demand public transport services such as those described above will compete with rail services to the city of Melbourne, there may be scope for the commercial sector to identify areas of outer Melbourne that suffer from low levels of quality public transport and meet a mobility need. If such services connect with rail lines, this may potentially have a beneficial impact on the city of Melbourne, in terms of reduced private cars travelling into inner Melbourne. Any operator seeking to provide such a service would need to comply with Victorian legislative requirements.
Multimodal, app based transport informationThe ubiquity of the Smartphone has created the foundation for a wide variety of mobile applications focused on transport information. Many of these Apps share a common goal of enhancing transport mode decision making, which often equates to a more economical use of the private motor vehicle. Utilising GPS capabilities and API feeds from public transport providers, these Apps allow users to receive detailed, real time public transport information. Some Apps are even able to provide detailed, multimodal journey options, including estimated arrival time and price. A leader in this market is RideScout, which was recently acquired by Daimler Chrysler. As shown in the App screenshots in Figure 4.4, RideScout lists the available modes between an origin and destination, and shows estimated cost and journey time for each mode. Not listed in the right hand image in Figure 4.4 are the numerous other modes (including public transport and bike sharing) that were shown when scrolling the list of available options. Figure 4.5 RideScout mobile App travel information, Washington, D.C. 
These Apps enable users to make informed decisions based on current traffic conditions, utilising an optimised combination of different travel modes. Building on this one-platform, multimodal model, there appears to be a trend emerging for in-App ticket purchase, potentially eliminating the need for users to interact with traditional public transport ticketing (including smartcards). Portland, Oregon has been using Mobile Tickets since 2013 and have sold more than 5 million fares via the platform, with more than 230,000 downloads on the App. Portland was the first major US city to launch Smartphone ticketing. Recently, Chicago launched a Smartphone payment option (Ventra Mobile App), eliminating the need for paper tickets. Whilst the shift to Smartphone public transport payment is not strictly a disruptive technology, it does have the potential to make public transport use more convenient. In addition to not having to carry anything other than your mobile phone, these mobile tickets can also be used to send customised, location specific information to travellers. For instance, a public transport agency can use past travel history to notify users of service disruptions (potentially before the traveller has left their home or office), via the App, and thereby minimising the impact of cancellations or delays. Directory: SiteCollectionDocuments SiteCollectionDocuments -> Emerging Transport Technologies SiteCollectionDocuments -> Lesson Plan What are smart goals? SiteCollectionDocuments -> Melbourne Library Service Policy Public Access Internet and Computer Use Policy SiteCollectionDocuments -> Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Jacksonville SiteCollectionDocuments -> Building Management Systems (bms) Seminar 2 Advanced Management and Improvement Opportunities SiteCollectionDocuments -> Commitments and Pledges for Training and Capacity Building 2014-15 SiteCollectionDocuments -> Galileo® and Apollo® Systems – Airline Participants SiteCollectionDocuments -> Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy 25 years of protecting Australia SiteCollectionDocuments -> Final pest risk analysis report for Drosophila suzukii April 2013 SiteCollectionDocuments -> Permitted Seeds List – 16 June 2016 Download 2.8 Mb. Share with your friends:
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