There is no denying that mass transportation has brought with it some big challenges in recent years, especially in some of the big cities of the world. There are lots of different approaches that are being implemented to help keep road traffic down while still giving people flexible and economical ways to move around urban areas, and make their daily commutes.
If you are traveling to visit a big city, whether it’s in Europe, Asia, the USA, or anywhere else in the world, you may well notice that one or more of the following trends have become a normal part of life there:
Rideshare and Carshare Services
Rideshare services such as Uber have been becoming widely used in many cities around the world, however, some places haven’t yet been able to introduce them due to differences in their legislation around taxi licenses, or simply because no business has yet set up the infrastructure for a rideshare system there yet.
One other thing that is catching on in a lot of places is carshare systems – these are where people pay a subscription to be able to use certain cars (often electric cars) that are dotted all around the city, and then pay for usage on demand. This has become a popular alternative to owning a car for many people who only need to get around the city they live in, or who only need to drive from time to time.
Bike Hire Systems
Like carshare systems, you’ll also find a lot of cities, especially in Europe and Asia, where there are bikeshare services. People can use their phones to unlock bikes to use on demand, which can be picked up and then left anywhere within the serviced area.
Subscriptions to these services tend to be cheap and they are a very popular option among students and commuters, who like the speed and convenience of cycling around the city, but with this system, they don’t have to worry about things like finding a place to lock their bike up all day or about bike theft.
It also makes it easy for people who commute to different cities to be able to cycle from a train station to where they need to get to, without having to bring their own bike on a train.
Electric Scooters
Electric scooters for kids are becoming a safe and popular way to get around, but in some cities, adults are getting in on the convenient, environmentally friendly way to make smaller local trips, too. Faster than walking but not really any more difficult, using an electric scooter can be a fun and inexpensive way to get around a city, and is often a more practical alternative to cycling, as it is easier to do in any clothing and is not as physically taxing.
Some places have electric scooter hire systems in a similar vein to the bike hire systems, and so you’ll see plenty of people in these cities commuting on scooters!
These transport trends are becoming popular all over the world, but tend to grow on a city by city basis, so you may not encounter them until you visit a different country or region. All of them aim to offer their own solutions to congestion, and provide greener and more economical personal transport solutions in busy cities.
Have you used any of these transportation methods on your travels?
