Looks like sharing really is caring, as far as the everyday commuter and environment are concerned. But don’t tell that to traditional taxi drivers.
According to a study done by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, increased carpooling through ride-hailing services, like Uber and Lyft, could eliminate the need for the roughly 14,000 taxis roaming the streets of New York.
The study was conducted by Professor Daniela Rus of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and uses computer models to show how carpooling, when in conjunction with ride-hailing apps, could drastically alter commuting conditions in urban environments.
As few as 3,000 four-passenger cars could serve 94 percent of New York’s commuting demand, while 2,000 ten-person vehicles would increase that figure to 95 percent, with 2.7 minutes of average wait time and a trip delay of about 3.5 minutes.
Carpooling is currently available on both Uber and Lyft, but requires users to commit to rides with strangers that includes multiple stops. And while those services aren’t perfect, using them could make transportation in cities far more efficient.
“Our ride pooling solution will reduce the number of vehicles needed to support the transportation demands of a city but this does not mean that the driving jobs are going away,” Rus said to Gizmodo. “Another way to think about this is that the jobs are getting better: drivers will be able to make the same amount of money working shorter shifts—while the customers will get the same level of service, cities will have fewer cars on roads, the commute experience will be better for everyone in the city, and the air is cleaner.”
Although the system was applied only to Manhattan, researchers said it could be applied to other cities, and that existing fleets could be utilized as well.
Thumbnail photo via Pexels
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