[sustran] They are called taxis

[Eric Britton]

Dear Roger. 

 

Thank you for biting.

 

Taxis. Yes, yes and yes. Your points are excellent and you are on the button
with your definition of carsharing. (You can check us out at World Carshare
Consortium at www.worldcarshare.com where we look at this in all kinds of
places and from all kinds of interesting angles.) The first one to ring this
bell though was Joachim Bergerhoff who is working in Kosovo and who came in
this morning with the same good point. 

 

Let me back up a step on this. First of all I am not pushing carsharing as a
magic wand for low, or very-low income countries. But then you say niche
markets, and indeed. The fact is though that the niches can be quite large..
The definition of India for example as a France surrounded by Africa, would
suggest to me that there is potential there. And all the more so in many
Latin American capitals and larger cities. But like city cycling, just to
pick another good and underused mode out of a hat, this needs to be done
with great feel. That's why we call the New Mobility Agenda,  "The Politics
of Transportation".  (

 

The point stands though. I can easily name twenty, probably fifty cities in
the developing world in which it could work if it had the right kind of
policy support without even breaking into a sweat. So I think that we need
to be sure they are a bit up on this approach, if nothing else. Also cause
it's not only transport but it's also economics and culture, and there is
room for improvement on both these scores.  For more on carsharing
worldwide, see the World Carshare Consortium at www.worldcarshare.com)

 

Back to taxis and the three yes's: Yes because they are there and provide
mobility - and jobs -- every day. Yes because they are best when shared. And
Yes we know what's wrong with them and what to do to bring them more
smoothly into the overall sustainable transport systems of our cities.
(Sustainability in this instance being a direction, not necessarily a full
and final accomplishment.) 

 

With all good wishes,

 

Eric Bitten

 

 

 

 

Text of marquee toward top left on World Streets: 

 

NEWMOB CARS:  Carpooling   *   Carsharing   *   Car diets  *  Car rental   *
Ownership  Patterns   *  Parking strategies   *  Use patterns  

 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:  Bus Rapid Transit  *  Buses  *  Community Bus  *  Free
Public Transport  *  Integrated Fare Systems  *  Light rail  *   Small Bus
Systems  *  Transit integration  

 

SHARE TRANSPORT:  Bike-sharing  *  Car-sharing  *  Ride Sharing   *
Taxi-sharing   *  Space-sharing   *  Digital Hitchhiking  *  Hitchhiking,  *
Jitney  *  Paratransit  *  Shuttle Services  * Slugging  *  Vanpooling  

 

ACTIVE TRANSPORT: *  Bicycles  *  Bike/Transit Integration  *  Public
Bicycle Systems  *  Telecommuting  *   Telework  *  Walk to School  *
Walking 

 

TDM:  Congestion  *  Flexible Working  *   Flextime  *  Road Diets  * Speed
Reductions  *  Traffic Calming   

 

GOODS DISTRIBUTION:  Consolidation centers  *  Combined delivery  *
Distribution schemes  *  Small vehicle delivery  * Truck bans  *  Van/truck
sharing    

 

INFRASTRUCTURE:  Cycle adaptations  *  Enforcement  *  HOV Strategies  *
Pedestrianization  *    Road Architecture *  Road diets.  *  Road pricing  *
SOV Strategies  *  Street Codes  *  Street Reclaiming  * Transit Priorities
*   Universal design   * Vehicle Use Restrictions 

 

LAND USE:  Car Free Planning  *  Mixed Use  *  New Mobility HUBs  *  Public
spaces  *  Tax policy  * TOD  *  Value Capture