News
Technology Disrupts Pre-Conceived Notions of Routing, School Rides
WRITTEN BY JULIE METEA
Transfinder’s Anthony Civitella supports projects that improve existing products. For example, he wonders aloud if drones could assist in emergency communication, especially to detect accidents and or unsafe traffic conditions.
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here’s no doubt that technology is changing landscapes and shaping every automotive niche. Not yet clear is how today’s convergence will manifest into tomorrow’s daily school bus ride, but there are hints. Automotive OEMs Ford, Daimler and General Motors increasingly define themselves as “mobility companies” to characterize their own
disruption into the future of autonomous vehicles, connected cars and mobile technologies. Meanwhile, technology companies are pushing the speed of change through mobile and cloud innovation. Together, they are delivering Mobility-as-a-Service. MaaS is creating a shift away from personally owned transportation to an ecosystem where public-private providers offer transportation services through a unified gateway. Te trend is fueled by the rise of transportation apps, smart cities, data vending and the promise of self-driving vehicles, all which deliver efficien- cies and on-demand capabilities through the Internet of Tings. “Tere is a culture shift going on. Elements are in place for this new mobility industry.
Technology is a trigger. And users, especially Millennials, will speed it up,” said Susan Zielinski, SMART Managing Director at the University of Michigan, which provides advanced research for safe, sustainable transportation.
SHIFTING GEARS IN MOBILITY SERVICE Today, MaaS is delivering pop-up bus services and ride-car sharing programs, both in the con- sumer and commercial markets. Ford announced it is developing a high-volume, fully autono- mous vehicle for a commercial ride sharing service by 2021. For now the OEM is participating in a one-year pilot program with Bridj in Kansas City. Residents use the on-demand bus service via a mobile app and pop-up shuttle stations. After users select a trip, the Bridj app tailors a pick-up location where a Ford Transit bus transports them to another transit connection, like a bike- or car-sharing station. Similar services are in Boston and Washington, D.C. More mature MaaS technologies—like Lyft, Uber and Zipcar—already have disrupted tradi- tional commercial transportation industries. Lyft and Uber have transformed the taxi industry. Zipcar is bringing to market a shared vehicle ownership model that could drastically reduce the number of personally owned vehicles. For every Zipcar, there will be up to 13 personally owned vehicles off the road, compared to the 36 vehicles removed by school buses. For fleet management, Zipcar launched a next-generation service called Local Motion, a vehicle hardware and software
14 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2016
platform that allows operators to share vehicles, increase utilization and streamline operations. Zipcar anticipates it will appeal to corporate and government entities that have a growing need for sustainable, cost efficient transportation. “Convergence is here and growing for ride sharing. It will make cities better and efficient. If we get this right, it will be good for our children,” said Zipcar President Kaye Ceille who was a keynote speaker at Telematics Update Automotive Detroit, a show- case where industry leaders exhibit paradigm shifts in solving the world’s thorniest transportation issues.
BUILDING GROUNDS FOR BIG DATA ANALYSIS IN SMART CITIES
Trough the Internet of Tings, big data analysis is a key ingredient to shift entire communities around new technology-infused transportation models, within both wide spaces and condensed smart cities. Technology and automotive/mobility companies are pondering the possibilities for connected school buses. “Smart cities can reduce traffic. Te number one variable is school schedules, which puts pressure on traffic, because schools start at the same time. Staggering school sched- ules would solve the problem. Te industry needs to work with cities and agencies to figure out smart city planning,” said INRIX President and Chief Executive Officer Bryan
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