Transport: Commuting

Public transport is indisputably better for the environment than driving oneself to work. However, unless the former is radically improved, most of us will continue to demand and enjoy the flexibility of the latter.

This section discusses:

Existing Provision

What

Here we are simply talking about the (typically daily) journey to and from one's place of work.

How

Some of us have a straightforward choice of driving or taking a bus or train. For many, however, there are significant impediments to doing so. We may live too far from a bus stop; the service may be too infrequent, too slow, too expensive or non-existent.

Volume and Frequency

We traditionally (almost) all start work at the same time causing a particularly sharp peak in traffic leading up to 9am.

Journeys home are more spread out but a significant peak between 4.30 and 6pm catches a lot of us.

Our requirements are often fairly predictable - especially in the morning. We will know the night before what time we've set our alarm clock for and hence when and if we will be leaving for work. Returning home is often less predictable as events during the day can influence how late we need to stay.

Financial Model

Peak hour rail travel is much more expensive than the petrol costs you would incur driving there. Significant savings are offered for season tickets but these only make sense for those of with consistent work patterns throughout the week and the year.

Even where one does trade money for the ability to read the paper or get some work done on the train (assuming you can find a seat) there are often secondary charges - such as the £6 a day our local station charges for parking. Convenience and overcrowding also impact the price level at which we would flip from car to public transport.

Providers

There are many bus and train companies - which don't seem to link up very well - at least in the UK.

Trends

An increasing number of us work from home and have the enviable commute to the office in the garden or the spare bedroom. Localnet should certainly make this option open - at least some days of the week - to far more of us. However, for most of us there will still be a daily trudge of at least several miles. As petrol costs rise we feel the pain more - yet train and bus tickets seem to rise faster so we stick with the devil we know.

Initiatives to promote car-pooling in order to reduce emissions and cut congestion have had some success. In the U.S. car-pool lanes are now fairly widespread in the larger cities and give a real incentive to share a car. However, for many of us we either live to far from our co-workers or one or other of the potential sharers works variable hours which are difficult to accommodate when two of you have to coordinate journeys in both directions.

With Localnet

What

With a delivery van passing every front door in the area, commuting by public transport - using the localnet van to reach the nearest bus or train stop - should be the preferred mode of commuting for all.

How

The OmniVans that visit every house in the area at least once a day not only carry boxes of goods for delivery, they also have fold-down seats so they can carry up to 20 passengers if empty of boxes.

Kids can jump aboard at their home or the end of their road when the delivery van comes by on its way back to the LocalHub having delivered the morning post, papers and breakfast. These minibuses are driven by one of a small number of local staff whom the children (and their parents) will know and trust at least as much as school bus drivers of today.

If each child is given a uniquely identifiable card, they just need to wave this at the reader on the van to gain entry. This not only lets the system and hence parents “track” their safe delivery.

Volume and Frequency

We cannot expect everyone to abandon their car - but this should see a significant proportion of commuters switch to public transport for at least some of their journeys.

Financial Model

There may be an argument for subsidised or even free commuting trips on the localnet vans. These vans had to fan out from the LocalHub to deliver post, papers and breakfast anyway. They have to make their way back to the hubs to reload and since these are only a few miles away, the cost of bringing passengers with them is marginal.

If charging for the travel on localnet vans is per mile travelled then even those who could not justify a season ticket will still use the service when it makes sense on a journey-by-journey basis. For a real impact, however, the pricing of commuter services on public transport also needs to be overhauled so as to be more competitive with using one's own car - especially for those with irregular travel patterns. Instead of a “season ticket” a “100 journeys ticket” with no time limit would make more sense.

Being able to jump aboard a feeder service to the LocalHub from any dwelling in the area avoids the need to take a car to the station or bus depot. This not only saves congestion and parking charges there, it also removes the temptation to stay in the car for the whole journey.

Providers

Bus companies could simplify their routes - taking shorter and more direct routes with perhaps one or two miles between stops as those who previously used intermediate stops can stay on their localnet vans until they reach the LocalHub. This may be a mile or two where previously they would only have been prepared to walk a quarter of a mile to a bus stop.

The existing train operators would simply find that more people use their services - and that perhaps previously non-viable stations are worth reopening.

Evolution

The current bus and rail networks could not cope with a sudden increase in demand such as might come from a localnet area. They would need to increase the length and frequency of trains to cope. These changes don't happen overnight but, if localnet spread to the point where whole routes were covered, the demand for public transport could be so much larger that the economics change. Getting better use out of their infrastructure, a more competitive price could be afforded. This in turn will generate more traffic and, as long as the infrastructure can be grown as demand rises, a virtuous circle develops.

 

Comparison

The table below assesses the impact of localnet on this service on a scale of -5 to +5 (details here)

  Existing services As part of localnet Score
Scope Existing public transport services only provide a viable option for a proportion of workers. Adding doorstep or end of road pickup and cheap shuttle to a main bus or rail stop would increase the coverage of public transport significantly. +3
Frequency Frequent service on main routes is undermined by infrequent service on feeder routes. Consistent feeder service to every road. +3
Security Cars left unattended at bus stops/stations by many. Car safe in garage. +1
Convenience Depends how far one is from appropriate bus/train stop. Local feeder service within yards of front door. +3
Cost Expensive and fare structure designed when we all worked rigid 9-5 shifts. Should reduce cost of getting to and from bus and train services but these really need to change if significant shift in behaviour is to be achieved. +2
Quality The experience on the “real” bus or train is unchanged - though unless extra demand is met by increased capacity, quality of service will drop. Travel to bus/train stop is fairly basic but only lasts 5-10 minutes - and is much better than walking the same distance in the rain. +1
Carbon Footprint Every commuter who drives to work uses many times more energy than one who takes public transport. Will encourage significantly more to leave car at home. +4
Time Every commuter who drives to work adds to congestion. Should reduce number of cars on road. +3
Resources Used Cars being worn out - especially in morning stop-start jams. Less wear and tear on cars. +2
Reuse & Recycling Cars worn out quicker. Some will not bother with a second car. Those that do will find their car lasts longer. +2
Landfill Waste Cars worn out quicker. Some will not bother with a second car. Those that do will find that their car lasts longer. +2
Other Differentiators Reduces travel time for many as buses don't need to stop so frequently. +1

Services