We can’t move from place to place without depending on reliable infrastructure and transportation. From the ease of moving from home to work in a car, to public transportation that includes trains, planes, and Shared Ride Shuttles (http://shuttletolax.com/)- we depend on our various transportation systems to maneuver through our days. Without viable infrastructure, transportation isn’t able to function as it should. We have roads and bridges, but those need to be consistently maintained in order to remain functional.
During National Transportation Week, we would like to highlight some of the progress made in transportation in 2016.
Hyperloop
MIT’s Hyperloop pod design
The Hyperloop, proposed by Elon Musk in 2013, was originally drafted to run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with the estimated trip time of 35 minutes. The concept utilizes capsules that are propelled through a series of tubes over a layer of air to move the capsules from one destination to the next. Although both Elon Musk and SpaceX are not affiliated with any Hyperloop companies, they are “helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype.” The design for the hyperloop is open sourced, so any organization is able to contribute to the existing design- one of those organizations being a group of students, professors, and engineers at MIT. Although there are plenty of challenges to overcome with the project, including the design, functionality, and cost, there is a hopeful future for faster region to region transportation.
Solar Planes
Solar Impulse flying over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge
They function just about how you would expect- with the help of solar power. The concept is to create flight using alternative fuel resources, and considering how a Boeing 747 uses at least a gallon of fuel per second, it’s not difficult to imagine how an alternative power source can help reduce the amount of green house gasses emitted into the atmosphere. However, there’s still a lot of work to do before solar planes can be considered for commercial flight, and two pilots are making moves to change that: Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. These guys are traveling around the world in a solar plane, appropriately named Solar Impulse, to gather the attention from both the public and interested entrepreneurs. They have already made a successful 5 days and 5 nights trip from Nagoya to Hawaii, using only solar power, proving that the clean energy is worth the technological strive.
Rideshare Vehicles
Although the Hyperloop and solar planes may be out of reach for the everyday traveler -for now- companies. Commuters alike are making strides to evolve transportation with the technology available to us today. Rideshare companies are making it easier for customers to request rides without having to use their personal vehicles, and in some cases, remove the need to own their own vehicle altogether.
Living in a city like Los Angeles means having to deal with traffic during most commutes, multiplying the time it takes to get to work. In L.A., commuters will spend up to 80 hours more a year on their commute to work compared to other cities in the country! The fastest solution to traffic congestion would be to remove cars from the road, but without carpool buddies for every car, that’s easier said than done. With available rideshare options, commuters have the option to commute to work, or to the airport, without using their own vehicle.
As a rideshare company, we take pride in being able to service shuttle vans to customers to and from their homes and the airport. We provide communities with the option to travel in a rideshare vehicle. Our shuttles are cost-effective, and since we board multiple passengers per trip, we’re removing the need for more vehicles on the road heading toward the airport. As providers of vehicle options ranging from shuttles to sedans, we’re able to supply vehicles for any commute type in Los Angeles- and we can’t wait to see what else the future of transportation holds.
