TAAS and Cheap Fare Era

First, Abbreviations

TAAS - Transportation As A Service
IC - Internal Combustion
EV - Electric Vehicle
AV - Automated Vehicle
AEV - Automated Electric Vehicle

“We love our horses” is a statement most asserted but never lived up to in the 20^th century. Now it's different and varied, from “we love our cars” to “I dream of owning a car”. It is funny to start comparing these two but its only change that hasn’t changed.

Back then, owning a horse was, and still is, a sign of wealth and prestige. Then cars came and early men got reluctant to make the switch, only until it became obvious you can’t go to work with your horse. The innovation in the automotive industry also played a part to be fair.

Transportation As A Service

Presently, it’s cars that facing automation. Frankly speaking, owning a car is the equivalent of ‘cockblocking’ if you know what I mean. You have to make sure the engine is sound, keep it clean, look at the road, renew the licence and find parking. Most of these activities take up your precious time which results in low productivity. The number of man-hours you spend taking care of your car isn’t worth it anymore.

Most of us live in cities and towns. We move a lot, that’s not news anymore. Transport as a Service (TAAS) is exactly what we need, have and will ever require. Imagine waking up and when you’re ready to leave, you just do so. Along the way, you check e-mails and social media along the way. Now compare that with Mr. DrivingSeat who will have a checklist to mark before leaving, and tarmac + metal to look at.

and so

We all know that EVs, especially AEV, have less headache, but how many of you are willing to make the switch. Now, picture when we automate the road - because we want to. Man is to error, women may do more, bots make none and so we can’t trust you behind the wheel anymore. The result? Hefty license fees; restricted access areas; and compulsory training and assessment. Add that to pollution charges and you’ll be sweating behind the wheel.

Now you board the taxi and there’s someone who’s paid for your journey beforehand because they have the stuff to show you. That’ll mean you won’t pay anything, especially if you rideshare.

American market

The effect would be drastic. First, petrol stations will start closing as people shift to electric motors, making it even harder to own an Internal Combustion (IC) engine, making common models have a negative residual value (it will cost you to dispose of your car). Then, garages would close or cost extra since no-one would be buying spare parts anymore.

Doomsday

Since we won’t need drivers (taxi, bus, train, planes, ships), unemployment would be a real scourge. This includes traffic officers and conductors in PSVs. For instance, recently India banned driverless vehicles but acknowledge that it would make them uncompetitive, making them schedule a revision of the law. Since EVs have close to 20 moving parts compared to 2000+ in ICs, almost all the guys who service your vehicle will go home too.

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That’s all for today folks