{"id":24418,"date":"2018-11-08T10:29:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T10:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/?p=24418"},"modified":"2018-11-08T16:20:16","modified_gmt":"2018-11-08T16:20:16","slug":"the-power-of-a-personalised-on-demand-driverless-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/the-power-of-a-personalised-on-demand-driverless-future\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of a personalised, on-demand driverless future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public transport such\u00a0as trains, planes, buses and trams are vital for millions of people in the UK to get to work, to school or the shops every day. A good and reliable (cough) public transport system forms one of the essential elements of any vibrant economy.<\/p>\n

For people with disabilities, however, public transport is often the only option for getting from A to B. Having accessible buses and trains, then, is absolutely essential. Due to the very nature of ‘public’ transport, in an ideal world you would make every bus or train accessible as, sooner or later, someone with a disability or impairment will undoubtedly step (or roll) on board. We don’t yet live in an ideal world, though, so the next best thing is to at least provide a sufficient number of accessible buses, say, in order that someone in a wheelchair isn’t having to wait an unreasonable amount of time before being able to travel. As buses always come in threes, you may think that at least one in three buses made accessible is enough – and in some parts of the country it seems that the local bus provider agrees.<\/p>\n

We all know that inclusive apps and websites are easier to use by everyone \u2013 and this definitely holds true for accessible buses and trains. If someone with a wheelchair can roll on board, then it\u2019s also easier for people with a pram, trolley or heavy luggage too.<\/p>\n

The government has recently published its\u00a0Inclusive Transport Strategy<\/a>\u00a0which sets out the Government\u2019s goal to create an equal access transport system by 2030. According to the strategy, autonomous vehicles, digital wayfinding systems and other technologies will play a key role in making transport more accessible for people with disabilities,<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology has huge potential to make transport much easier for disabled people and bring advantages to some people who will never otherwise get the benefits of the private car,\u201d states the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) in the report. Nowhere could this be more marked than in the provision of driverless vehicles of all shapes and sizes offering choice to all travellers \u2013 each with their own particular needs.<\/p>\n

A driverless car for you, and you, and you<\/h4>\n

By 2030 the concept of private car ownership will be as outdated as shoulderpads or feature phones. Every street in both inner cities and sleepy towns will have a number of quietly humming electric cars making their way to some unknown destimation, carrying one passenger or many. Each car will be as different from one another as animals in the zoo or fish in an aquarium \u2013 with one common factor being that they will never be still for more than 30 seconds or so as they pick up and drop off their passengers or payload.<\/p>\n

The thought of cars just sitting inactive, taking up space and depreciating in value will be as alien to people then as the thought of us being ferried around by a car\u2019s AI alone is to us today.<\/p>\n

Even though car ownership will be rare in our transport vision of the future, there will still be a driverless car – perfect for your specific needs, whatever your needs are – mere minutes away. Want to travel alone? No problem. There\u2019ll be the smallest pod possible ready to give you the greenest and most affordable ride arriving in 3 minutes. If you\u2019re happy to share the cost of a ride, then larger vehicles that are going your way will intelligently pick up and drop off fellow travellers on the most efficient and cost-effective route for everyone involved.<\/p>\n