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| Mass transportation is changing our world in many small ways. |
The historical argument for mass transportation is that it reduces pollution because fewer engines are required and it reduces congestion on the roads because people share tighter space on trains and buses. There is a scientific balance to that argument. What I mean is that it takes as much energy to move a 200 pound person 15 miles by car as by train. The question is where can we spend less energy moving the weight of the vehicle? By utilizing our space more efficiently, in theory, we save energy by requiring less metal and other infrastructure for train cars and buses.
A different type of mass transportation is emerging from the era of the crowd sourced Internet. This type of mass transportation relies on individual vehicles but many people share them. We have three types of small vehicle mass transportation today:
1. Ride-sharing via car pools
2. Taxi services, including Uber and Lyft
3. Econovehicle rentals, like Zip cars and bicycles
All three forms of small vehicle mass transportation contribute to less congestion because we don't all need to drive our own vehicles. Not only do the roads have less traffic, it's easier for people to find parking in crowded downtown areas -- well, easier than it would be if we were all still driving our own cars.
I don't know how much research has been done on the impact of taxi services. A few years back a research project was launched to study Uber and Lyft. If Uber and Lyft drivers own more fuel efficient vehicles it would make sense they are able to help the environment. They will want to save as much money as they can on their fuel costs. The same is true for traditional taxi services.
The Zip cars and similar mini vehicles run on electricity. Electricity is not completely green energy. What if your electric power is produced by a coal-fried or gas-burning plant? They are still creating pollution. And if your electric power is generated by hydroelectric dams they are having a negative impact on river and lake ecologies.
No system is perfect but at least rented electric cars reduce the amount of pollution we breathe directly in downtown areas.
The rental bikes are a new development for me. I have only seen them for a couple of years. It's like someone said, "Hey, college students may ride bicycles if we make it easy for them." I saw rental bikes near a university one day and wondered if people really use them. Over the past couple of years I see the bike stands are nearly empty but I don't see people riding them. If we assume that these services work, then the college kids are helping the environment and getting a little workout.
Stay healthy!
But let's say you are getting older and you don't drive as often as you used to. Either you take taxi cabs or you hire Lyft and Uber cars. What should you do with your old car if you still have one? People come up with interesting ideas for disposing of old cars. But you could also pass it on to your kids. Or just hang on to it. Maybe one day it will become a classic or antique and collectors will want to buy it.
Owning a car is not cheap. The maintenance costs grow over time as you have to replace more parts. And we often buy maintenance contracts with our cars. You really feel the pinch when those contracts expire because you have to bear the cost of maintenance out of pocket.
There is another environmental cost associated with cars. Merely scrapping old vehicles releases CO2 into the environment (and other pollutants). In other words, the decision to buy a vehicle is a long-term commitment to creating pollution. You don't stop polluting the environment when you junk your car. It goes out with one final "in your face" glob of carbon emissions.
We are not yet ready to be "smart" about our transportation. In America if you live anywhere other than next to a grocery store, a theater, a restaurant, and your place of work you need transportation. Very few people can walk to work any more. I admit that several million people now work from home. That should save on gas and maintenance. But we're still using electricity all day long.
Working from home is not a form of mass transportation but maybe "telecommuting" belongs in the above list. I read somewhere recently that companies are getting away from telecommuting jobs. If so that is a shame because I think they really help the environment. And they save time if you don't have to commute 1-2 hours per day. That is like getting a raise in my book.
When I was a kid I heard all sorts of bad stories about hitch-hiking. Now instead of asking strangers for a free ride we pay them. It's all in the name of convenience but maybe just maybe it will also help us change our polluting ways. If we gradually transition to a green economy that may not be enough to stop global warming but it will be better than making it worse and worse with every generation.
When I think about how millions of people are making a positive change every day, I feel like my own small changes have real meaning. I hope you feel the same way too.
