ACES stands for Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared. Autonomous and connected vehicles are to revolutionise the urban landscape while electric vehicles are helping to decarbonise the transport sector. Moreover, shared use mobility mechanisms can help establish a culture for using mobility resources on a demand basis. Having an ACES transport system provides a socially inclusive, environmentally friendly, safe, cost-effective, integrated and […]
In August 2016 a new app based on demand shared ride service ‘Slide’ was launched in Bristol, the first of its kind in the UK. Developed by French Group RATP Dev, customers use an Uber style booking interface to locate a vehicle and pick up point close to their home. The service covers key car commuting routes around Bristol and runs at peak commuting times. If […]
Much has been written on driverless cars, but what about driverless boats? Research teams from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions are trying to design and test the world’s first fleet of autonomous boats in the city of Amsterdam. Apart from transporting goods and people, these ‘roboats‘ can create temporary floating bridges and also monitor water quality using environmental sensors. Amsterdam was chosen as the ideal […]
New research published in Transport Policy identifies the potential impact of car sharing schemes on car ownership. Based on interviews with 3,405 car sharers in Vancouver the authors find round trip car sharing, where the vehicle is picked up and dropped off in the same place, is an active substitute for car ownership. One way car sharing on the other […]
EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc has called for 2018 to be the year of awareness for multimodality throughout the European transport system. The use of different modes of transport on the same journey can be found in several apps which are currently live or otherwise being piloted across Europe and Globally. Such services are known […]
In Berlin, 500 people owning a particular set of trainers can freely make use of public transportation when wearing both shoes. The tongues of the trainers contain an annual transit pass. Such a marketing strategy has attracted an unusual mix of customers from trainer collectors to those who simply want to save on their daily commute. This […]
A number of cities in the UK are developing services to attract people towards using public transport. Important research by Steve Stradling found that people fear the uncertainty of using public transport, feel vulnerable and resist the mental effort required to plan and execute journeys. In contrast driving a car offers control and autonomy as well as an opportunity for the driver to express individuality.
Many countries are now actively promoting electric vehicles and planning future bans on gas and diesel cars. Alongside alternative-fuelled vehicles, and potentially autonomous vehicles, a new multi-modal user-oriented concept called ‘Mobility-as-a-Service’ are opening up new choices for commuters and road users. Whether these alternatives to the internal combustion engine help reduce emissions depends on how […]