<html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> xTransit: Getting people in and around cities in road vehicles, smaller than full sized buses, driven by real human beings, dynamically shared with others, and aided by state of the art communications technologies -- and all of that as no less than the only way to offer "car like" mobility in most of our 21st century cities without killing the cities themselves (the old mobility way). What follows here (3 Jan 2005) is the beginning of our collaborate work in this area, which is much needed to help us all to understand better how all of this fits in with the New Mobility Agenda that we now need to use to drive transport and related decisions in our cities. We are calling it for now a "WorkPad". Keep reading and you will see how it is intended to work. And then, one hopes, you will pitch in to help us all make this into a more complete and more useful set of information tools for the much needed transformation process in our cities around the world. <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt;margin-left:36.0pt'> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000044" style='background:#000044;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <a name=short></a>Short History </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'>   </td> </tr> </table> This is the latest focus program of the New Mobility Agenda and The Commons, which just got underway on the last day of 2005 to make an important, to us, symbolic deadline. (Thus making it the on-schedule fourth in a series of ten year world surveys and support programs reporting on these technologies and their prospects, the first of which carried out in 1975, with new reviews in 1985 and 1995. We are nothing if not persistent.) If you are looking for some of the historic building blocks that have in their various ways opened the way for what is now going to take place far more quickly than probably even you think: "Old" New Mobility Agenda, which you may know in the past, including such as shared taxis, dial-a-ride, DRT, Demand Responsive Transport, paratransit, and the long list goes on. Take any and all of those, and then complete the logistics/communications chain with internet and mobile phones -- and a no less important wholesale redefinition of the legal and regulatory context -- and there you have it: xTransit. Here's how Ron Kirby and Kisten Bhat of the Urban Institute diagramed it in 1974 in their path-breaking report: Para-transit: Neglected options for urban mobility (ISBN: 0877661219). (See website for diagram) And what's the big difference with these same concepts many of which have been around for decades? It's the technology, stupid! Stay tuned and get involved. <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt;margin-left:36.0pt'> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000044" style='background:#000044;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <a name=what></a>What is xTransit </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'>   </td> </tr> </table> The job of this section of the WorkPad -placed here merely to get the discussions and serious work going and with no pretensions of being in any way definitive - is to rough out the main antecedents and eventual raw materials and components of a well working xTransit system. It is being posted at this point as part of the process of starting to define and development useful materials and perspectives on this important and as yet hugely underexploited mobility asset. If you want to see an example of the sort of thing that we are targeting to provide under this heading, our World Carshare project at http://worldcarshare.com is the best example that we can cite today. Please give us your comments and suggestions, both as to points of details and more broadly. What xTransit is not: ·         'Normal' cars, 'normally' used (SOV etc.) ·         Motorized two/three wheelers ·         Scheduled, fixed route transit service ·         Cycles ·         Walking, running, etc. Antecedents/ways of getting around: In any old order for now and just to get us going. What the following have in common is that they all are, or could be, candidates for, group ride services, more or less well articulated, more or less well supported by SOA technology. For now we cluster these in groups of roughly like concepts and operations: Taxis (even in the single client variant, as least as an antecedent) ·         Limousines ·         Group Taxis ·         Jitneys ·         Line Taxis ·         Maxicabs ·         Shared Taxis (also called, among many others: Colectivos, Peseros, Jeepney, Matatu, Gush Texi, Dolmus, Public light bus, Shirut, Publicos, Molue, Bemo, Tro-tro, Poda-poda, Danfo . . . and lots more) Ride-sharing ·         Lift-sharing (in UK also called carsharing. Watch out!) ·         Carpools ·         Vanpools ·         Buspools ·         Ride-matching ·         Hitchhiking Demand Responsive Transport ·         DRT ·         Dial a Ride ·         Dial a Bus ·         Taxi-Bus (Also Buxi, Busphone, Telebus, RufBas, ReTax, Sammel-Taxi, <a href="http://www.texxi.com/pro/texxi.nsf/?Open">Texxi</a>, etc.) ·         Accessible transit services Special Group Mobility Services ·         Paratransit ·         Shuttle buses ·         Feeder services ·         E&H group transit ·         Medical transport ·         Färdtjänst Carsharing??? Arguably does not belong here since in actual use it serves a single customer/purpose. That said there are a number of important overlaps and common issues, including the IT components of both. Goods/freight delivery ·         Small package and message delivery ·         Grouped goods delivery/Clustering ·         Freight Village ·         Teleshopping The other half of the xTransit equation:the logistics link: ·         IT/ICT ·         Central dispatching services ·         Back-office systems and services ·         Call centers and processing ·         On board information and communications systems ·         Advanced traveler information systems ·         Internet/website information (may or may not be interactive) ·         Internet/website reservation/ordering (interactive) ·         Ride matching ·         Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) ·         GPS ·         Mobile phones ·         Mobility centers ·         . . . <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt;margin-left:36.0pt'> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000044" style='background:#000044;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <a name=why></a>Why has it lagged? </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'>   </td> </tr> </table> When the first demonstration systems began to appear in the mid/late sixties, most ran into the dual problems of: (a) the technology was not there yet; and (b) insufficiently entrepreneurial skills on the part of the organizers. What was achieved however is that these first systems broke the ice and various groups and people started to look more closely at these group ride, 'third way' concepts. An even less successful series of attempted innovations -- PRT or Personal Rapid Transit Systems (these entirely off the road, on their own guideways and (too) ambitiously computer controlled from start to finish) -- which despite being the beneficiaries of one, two, even three orders of magnitude more investment also bit the dust. But they too started various players around the world to thinking about high levels of service, and the ways in which new technologies might provide the glue to keep them together. But the most important barriers that have delayed the progress and on-street introduction of these systems have been above all the result of the many ways in which the old system protects itself form innovation and change. Here are some of these which have been at times examined by researchers, public sector agencies, entrepreneurs, activists, and others hoping to create a more open framework for innovation in this badly constrained sector that is transport in cities. Which brings us to what is doubtless going to be the most important single target, challenge and eventual contribution: ·         "Channeled thinking" on the part of the authorities and most others concerned in shaping the transport context of the city <a href="http://www.ecoplan.org/general/xtransit.htm#top"></a> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt;margin-left:36.0pt'> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000044" style='background:#000044;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <a name=next></a>Next steps </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'>   </td> </tr> </table> Some of the key issue areas that now need collective attention if xTransit is to advance in time to make a difference, both as a global concept and in its various parts: ·         Better knowledge of preconditions for success ·         Institutional, legal, regulatory and other barriers (incl. local ordinances) ·         Integration, coordination issues ·         Financing: Who pays what ·         Role of fairbox ·         Integration of fares with other carriers ·         HOV priorities ·         Labor union (resistance) ·         Trade resistance (mainly from taxi operators) ·         Insurance, liability ·         Safety ·         Privacy The model for our collaborative efforts: Perhaps, until something better pops up, our collaborative efforts over the last decade via the <a href="http://www.ecoplan.org/general/go-to-wcs.htm">World Carshare Consortium</a>? It might also be useful to recall that this is an example of what we call a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Organizing_Collaborative_Networks" target=blank>Self-Organizing Collaborative Network</a>, for which you will find further background in the also in-progress Wikipedia entry on this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Organizing_Collaborative_Networks" target=blank>here</a> (own window). You might also wish to have a look at their entry on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_building" target=blank>Knowledge Building</a>, which relates closely albeit without the ever-important component of collaboration for change. <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt;margin-left:36.0pt'> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000044" style='background:#000044;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <a name=read></a>Some reading and references </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'>   </td> </tr> </table> Print references: This list has to be considered as partial and indeed misses out on the many good non-English languages sources that have been cared out on our subject. But we have to start somewhere. We list these for now in the order in which they originally appeared to make their contributions to this new field. Note that after about 1980, most references to "paratransit" increasingly refer to what is sometimes called "handicapped transport", in particular in the US and Canada. ·  Para-transit: Neglected options for urban mobility, Kirby, Bhatt et al. Urban Institute, Washington DC, 1974 ·  Paratransit: Survey of International Experience and Prospects, Britton et al. EcoPlan International. U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, 1975 ·  Small city para-transit innovations, Connie A Garber Dept. of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina. (1976) ·  Demand responsive transportation planning guidelines, Cady C Chung Mitre Corporation, Reston VA. 1976 ·  Paratransit: an assessment of past experience and planning methods for the future, by Mary Gallery, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, 1979 ·  Paratransit: Changing perceptions of public transport : proceedings of a workshop held in Mount Gambier, 20-23 February 1979. Australian Government Pub. Service, 1980. ·  Jitneys: A complement to public transportation, Carlos R Bonilla, Transportation Center, University of Tennessee. 1981 ·  GSM paratransit vehicle tests, M Smith. Transportation Development Centre, Cambridge, Mass. 1983 ·  Taxi-based paratransit technology/operations packages in Europe, Francis E. K Britton, Technology Sharing Program, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Washington DC, 1985 ·  Urban Transit: The Private Challenge to Public Transportation, Charles A. Lave. Pacific Research Inst, Los Angeles. 1985 ·  Technology and Business Opportunities in the Taxi Industry: An International Survey, Francis E. K. Britton. EcoPlan International, Paris. 1987 ·  Assessment of computer dispatch technology in the paratransit industry, John R Stone, Technology Sharing Program, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 1992 ·  Paratransit in southeast Asia: A market response to poor roads?, Robert Cervero, University of California Transportation Center, Los Angeles. 1992. ·  TaxiCom '95: International Survey of Leading innovational Taxi Communications and operations Approaches. Britton, Rozen, Murga, et al. Federal Transit Administration, Dept of Transportation, Washington, DC, 1995. ·  A Handbook for Acquiring Demand-Responsive Transit Software, TRB, Washington DC. 1996 ·  Paratransit in America, Robert Cervero, Praeger Publishers, New York, 1997 ·  Evaluation of automated vehicle location technologies for paratransit in small and medium-size urban areas, Gary S Spring, Transportation Research Board, Washington DC, 1997 ·  Contracting for Bus and Demand-Responsive Transit Services: A Survey of U.S. Practice and Experience, National Research Council , Washington DC. 2001 ·  Flexible Urban Transportation, by Jonathan L Gifford, Pergamon Press, 2003 ·  <a href="http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/downloadable/dft_localtrans_030325.pdf">Intermode : Innovations in Demand Responsive Transport</a>, Department for Transport, London, UK (PDF 1675 Kb) August 2004. Web references: ·  <a href="http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/page/dft_localtrans_030324.hcsp">Innovations in Demand Responsive Transport</a> (UK) ·  <a href="http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm78.htm">VTPI on Taxi Service Improvements</a> and on<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm39.htm"> Shuttle Services</a> ·  <a href="http://www.google.com/search?svnum=10&as_scoring=d&num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2005-09,GGGL:en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=&as_mind=4&as_minm=1&as_maxd=3&as_maxm=1&q=%22Demand+Responsive%22+taxi+OR+%7C+OR+transit+OR+%7C+OR+transport+OR+%7C+O">Google 1: "Demand Responsive Transport/Transportation/Transit/Taxi</a> (with exclusions to narrow toward usefulness) ·  <a href="http://www.google.com/search?as_q=shared+&num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2005-39%2CGGLG%3Aen&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=taxi+bus+transit+minibus&as_eq=algorithm+cable+processor+controller+switch+multiprocessors&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=off">Google 2: "Shared Taxi/bus/transit</a> (with exclusions to narrow toward usefulness) ·  <a href="http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/help.html">Google Ride Finder</a> (To follow)   </div> </body> </html>