The automobile industry is changing and it is changing fast, maybe a bit too fast. There are more mobility options to choose from, more companies that are entering the market and more technology finding its way into our day to day life. The real question that we need to ask is where exactly are we going with this?
Cities and its Transportation System
Everything seems to start with cities. People need to get up and about, to reach their office and back home, and the way you get around all this forms a crucial part of your day to day life. At the center of all this is transportation. This is what connects cities and people. This is what makes true human interaction possible. Technology is like a flavor that adds spice to the mode of transportation.
People are now looking for options more than ever before. With the population on the rise and lack of habitable space becoming a serious problem, people are now looking for modes of transportation that doesn’t involve driving a car around (but not everyone!). Public transportation is taking center stage. In a few decades, the country will lose its interest in vehicles that is occupied by a single person.
How about a bike or a Segway?
Higher Debt, Worse Prospects
According a recent report published by PIRG and Frontier Group, 1 in 12 households in the US is car free now, and people in the age group of 16-34 drove 23% less miles in the year 2009 than they did in the year 2001. This trend is gaining momentum. This also could be because more young people chose a college degree they could not use that well and overpaid for it so they have less money to drive around. Also, since you can watch movies online for free that is less
trips to the movie theater.
Also, with the rise of social media and lower prices for laptops, more young people can remain at home and entertain themselves rather having to drive somewhere.
As the population grows exponentially, the situation is only going to get worse. This change in the demographics is going to impact our lives in more ways than we understand today. Technology off course will play its role in this change. Companies are already talking about driverless cars and shuttles that will save countless man hours across the country and these small changes will help shape the future of the transportation industry in the years to come.
The Change
But the real question is – what is driving this change? It is the people and their behavior that is bringing this change in the industry. Users are now more focused on improving their productivity as they juggle more work in the same amount of time.
This involves saving hours that are now being spent behind the wheels waiting for the lights to turn green, and fighting the traffic jam during rush hour. Users are now looking for apps that can guide them from point A to point B in the least amount of time. You can have unlimited money at your disposal, but time is limited to 24 hours a day and it is constant for everybody whether rich or poor.
20 people traveling in a bus is better than 20 people traveling in 20 separate cars. Public transportation is the need of the hour. But is it? LA public transportation sexual harassment complaints have been strong and worrisome. So you see it is not technology but the people that matters more when discussing transportation.
Having a car is akin to having freedom. Nothing will ever change this. There is nothing wrong with carpooling though.
No Definitive Answers
Technology is only as good as you make it, and it is important to focus on people rather than just technology. After all
the people are going to use the technology to travel from one point to another. This is the basic purpose behind the very invention of the concept of transportation. Maybe it is time to rethink strategies and make sure we are moving in the right direction.