Every year, new transportation companies claim they will revolutionize mobility.
While many have certainly influenced the transit industry, plenty of the problems companies are attempting to address in the first place seem intractable.
But during a session earlier this month at TransportationCamp DC 2018 in Arlington, Va., one new company suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t focus on fixing existing modes at all.
Mike Stanley, CEO of Transit X, led a discussion about his transportation idea that foregoes roads entirely, raising transportation networks to the height of utility lines while leaving ground space for bikes and pedestrians.
Instead of bulky cars or buses, Transit X proposes to move people and cargo around in lightweight, solar-powered pods in a widespread system that could reach wherever streets currently do, and beyond.
The cost of coverage
Stanley highlighted the cost of infrastructure as a major impediment to increasing access to high-quality transportation.
He argues that it would be cheaper to simply build a new, separate infrastructure to give travelers fundamentally different options, rather than variations on what already exists
In theory, Transit X will drive down infrastructure costs, using lightweight pods whose frames – without their electronics – Stanley says he can lift over his head. Their solar-powered motors should remove the cost of fuel, and the system’s minimal physical footprint even undercuts land-use costs. In addition, the pods will have lower maintenance costs and be autonomous, lowering labor costs.
With these potential benefits in mind, Stanley expects Transit X could even turn a profit on passenger fares while keeping them more affordable than car ownership. With such a dependable cash flow, the project could theoretically expand quickly into communities whose residents currently struggle with mobility.
Getting to know each other
But will people enthusiastically commute to work in flying solar pods? To understand riders’ hesitations, Stanley and other TransportationCampers measured the pros and cons of existing modes: the convenience and parking problems of driving alone, and the lower transportation costs and delays of mass transit.
Transit X takes the best of these modes and solves their worst problems: it should be able to reach any area that a road can, for less cost, less space, and potentially more autonomy for passengers than a car would provide. Stanley has even designed pods to accommodate people with disabilities, and having a system that reaches out to anybody that currently struggles with mobility should greatly improve their independence.
Proving the concept
Transit X is currently building its pilot in Boston. This should address questions about its viability, but hopefully will also provide insight into its ability to reduce or eliminate the need for cars as we use them today.
At worst, Transit X provides a useful thought experiment in new approaches to transportation demand management and equitable mobility, especially from the perspective of land-use and prioritizing infrastructure investments for bikes and pedestrians.
Using the sudden dominance of smartphones in American society as an example, Stanley explained that the silver bullet of design didn’t exist until it existed. Once the general idea took hold, it allowed smartphones to surge into the fore of culture, just like cars in the mid-20th century.
It will be awhile before we can determine if Transit X represents Stanley’s silver bullet, but his session at least introduced an interesting view into how planners can envision and experiment with entirely new models for transportation