Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins
I remember many years ago there was an article in Road and Track about the woman who founded the first urban car sharing program in the U.S. (I forget its name - they had a fleet of SMART cars in Seattle). She had by then sold the company and moved on. Anyway, one of her "visions" was the elimination of private vehicle ownership, with all cars, trucks, etc. being merely a "service" for which we would "pay as we go".
One of her justifications was the very observable fact that most cars, most of the time, are just sitting there taking up space. We build huge parking garages, parking lots, driveways and garages, and all of that for them - so they have a place to just sit. That was her vision that drove her original vehicle sharing company - less sitting, more driving, vastly reducing the infrastructure needed for them.
Very pragmatic, really, especially from the point of view of someone who sees cars merely as appliances. And let's face it - most people have that point of view. Relieve them of the maintenance, depreciation, and responsibility of owning a car, but still allow them pretty much unfettered access to one when they want it. A lot of people would go for that. Soulless bastards that they are...  |
Agree on every point Jeff. Imagine the infrastructure gained if urban centers adopted this model, staging areas for autonomous vehicles to whisk you from shopping to home, or to an event downtown involving alcohol. No more parking lots/garages or even street parking. No maintenance worries, just pay a subscription fee for the service and you are in. Game changer for most folks, sad days for the rest of us. To a point...where we are no longer trusted to drive our own car, then it is a real game changer even for us!