| Transit systems absolutely need to compete against auto transport options. But transit systems can potentially blow away ride sharing or autonomous autos if they are truly fast and convenient. If you build express tracks so that transit trains do not need to stop at every station and use truly fast train technology (+100mph) - there is no way autonomous autos could compete on long enough trips. Of course this costs money - so build it where the density supports it. Plan your cities so that you build sufficient density. Just to explore this further, the distance from 1 Market, San Francisco to Apple Campus, Cupertino - is about 44 miles. Using a car, the commute time via Highway 101 leaving SF at 8AM is about 1 to 2 hours. Using a train going 60mph should get you there in 44 minutes. During rush hours this beats driving and is about the same or slower than a car traveling at or above the speed limit (65mph). With a train going 100mph that travel time goes down to 26 minutes 150mph (capable by Amtrak Acela in US) travel time: 17 minutes 200mph (capable by ICE in Germany, Shinkansen aka bullet train in Japan, TGV France, etc.) travel time: 13 minutes! And there are faster travel times out there. What about hyperloop? With a fast well designed transit system, autonomous autos and ride sharing can not compete on the full trip in terms of time. However ride sharing would be great getting people to/from stations. |