Have you ever taken a taxi? In the past, doing so meant finding one, flagging it down and telling the driver where you wanted to go, paying, and possibly, adding a tip. And while this still happens, it is less common than it used to be. These days, it is much easier to open a ride-hailing (打车) app. All of the boring stuff gets taken care of. It is a perfect solution!
Except that it isn't. A recent report from urban transport consultant Bruce Schaller, who spent the last four years studying traffic flow in New York, concluded that the use of these app-based journeys is causing traffic jams. The 81% increase in these city-based rides means that there are now five times more of them than the iconic yellow taxicab. "It's the shift in passage from public transports, he told the BBC. "That means moving people from larger vehicles into smaller ones, which means more vehicles to move the same people. Therefore, more traffic."
"They are out there in force at the worst possible times, n said Prof Christo Wilson, a computer scientist at Northeastern University, who has also studied the services. He referred to Uber's traffic data, which perfectly match the peaks for the rush hour. He also added that the low fares and convenience mean that people are ordering rides to go from A to B when they wouldn't normally. Both help contribute to the congestion (拥堵).
So what can be done to stop traffic from backing up or bottlenecking? One solution involves combining ride-hailing with sharing. Many ride-hailing companies, such as Uber and Didi Chuxing, enable customers to carpool. This allows travelers who share similar destinations to share the journey. The app enables drivers to pick up passengers halfway, which means more streamlined traffic, and less time spent with an empty vehicle.
Could this decongest the world's jam-packed roads? It is certainly one solution. But maybe we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the more traditional public transport options. "Congestion is a really complicated issued said Adrew Salzberg, from Uber. "There is no more efficient way to move people around than public transport," he added. So don't do away with that bus pass just yet.
