Thread by @jpr007

THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY - Part 4

Autonomous vehicles are going to become commonplace

But do not assume that we know the implications of that new reality yet

Personal owners will demand it in their new electric cars and carry on owning them
bailliegifford.com/en/uk/individu…

Third-party autonomous vehicles do not automatically do anything more than replace existing third-party driven vehicles from taxis to scheduled buses to shuttle services

And removing the cost of the driver does not magically make them an alternative to the personal vehicle

Instead, lower cost per driven mile makes them more affordable for new types of flexibility in public transportation, including new types of local area "bus" services with callable vehicles that can stop at your front door

These public transportation services have rarely been a source of profit that can sustain private operators without significant subsidies being granted "in the public interest"

But now we may see the same level of subsidies being able to deliver higher social value in urban, suburban and township environments

But rural and sparsely populated areas will still be difficult to serve

Long-haul bus and coach services can expect to become cheaper and maybe more common

- and all of these use cases can hopefully become safer