This is exactly the problem autonomous fleet of public vehicles are supposed to fix, if self-driving technology ever get good enough to work without supervision.
I’m not convinced that self-driving technology will ever be that good. An easier option in the short term might be neighbourhood car-sharing programs, where instead of signing up for a general car-share that’s open to anyone who’s signed up for membership, it’s restricted to the local neighbourhood. The idea is that whoever owns the car knows their own neighbours are the only ones using it, which makes it a bit more accountable and predictable than services like Zipcar (and these would actually be the ideal schemes to subsidise EVs for, because it benefits the whole neighbourhood, not just one family.)
There’s a few such schemes running in the UK already. It’s kind of reliant on being able to find enough neighbours willing to sign up for it, and actually being able to trust your neighbours, though. I love the idea of it, but secure, affordable housing that allows people to actually stay in one place for the long-term would help so much with creating the sense of community needed to make the schemes work.
This is exactly the problem autonomous fleet of public vehicles are supposed to fix, if self-driving technology ever get good enough to work without supervision.
I’m not convinced that self-driving technology will ever be that good. An easier option in the short term might be neighbourhood car-sharing programs, where instead of signing up for a general car-share that’s open to anyone who’s signed up for membership, it’s restricted to the local neighbourhood. The idea is that whoever owns the car knows their own neighbours are the only ones using it, which makes it a bit more accountable and predictable than services like Zipcar (and these would actually be the ideal schemes to subsidise EVs for, because it benefits the whole neighbourhood, not just one family.)
There’s a few such schemes running in the UK already. It’s kind of reliant on being able to find enough neighbours willing to sign up for it, and actually being able to trust your neighbours, though. I love the idea of it, but secure, affordable housing that allows people to actually stay in one place for the long-term would help so much with creating the sense of community needed to make the schemes work.