Transport-Service Providers

Categories of Service

One similarity between current mass-transit systems and CAV Systems is that, at first, travelers will have to find a way to travel to the system; as time goes by, this will become much less an issue as CAVWAYs are extended and as CAV ride-share services are added. CAV Systems will be heterogeneous, like current bus, taxi, shuttle, and ride-share services rather than homogeneous, all trains or all airplanes.
Transport services will use CAVs which can satisfy the states by meeting CAV-System standards, and which can satisfy travelers by providing safe, cost-effective, efficient transport services. Transport services may be provided by CAVs from the private sector or the public sector, but Davius strongly recommends that all providers receive their income from travelers; only safe, convenient, cost-effective services are likely to survive open competition.
First-Mile/Last-Mile Challenge
At right, example categories of service are discussed.
One might argue that, at least initially, service will not be door-to-door. In response, Davius points out that no mass-transit services are door-to-door at present and that CAV Systems will offer efficient alternatives which leverage existing right-of-way. Consider also the advent of driverless taxi service, such as that described in News Item 3. Dual-mode vehicles, capable of operating on both CAVWAYs and unrestricted roads (the jungle of human drivers) would be capable of providing door-to-door service.
Congestion Pricing
If you are a Transport-Service Provider looking to the future, consider congestion pricing, a policy gaining traction in Los Angeles and New York, after deployment in London, Stockholm, Singapore, and elsewhere. While this concept is logical and practical, it is also complicated to implement due in part to the dynamic nature of consumer decisions to trade price against convenience.

During the age of CAV Systems, automobile travel will be on both "jungle roadways" (like our legacy highways and freeways now dominated by vehicles with drivers) and CAVWAYs, accessible only by licensed CAVs. We are interested in the latter here.
Service on CAVWAYs is likely to fall into at least three categories:

1. Private service, such as now provided by taxis, limos, or ride-share (traveler origins, destinations, or both might fall outside CAVWAYs limits): Travel on CAVWAYs would be without a driver, but a driver would normally be used outside CAVWAY limits. Depending on whether travelers agreed to share their rides, service could be non-stop from origin to destination or could include one or more interim stops.
2. Shared service such as now provided by buses or shuttles might make fixed-schedule runs; if their routes were confined to CAVWAYs, no drivers would be required. One advantage these providers would have over current buses would be the flexibility to offer the number and size of vehicles which best meet demand.
   
3. Mixed-mode service, where private companies, hotels, or municipal buses or trams might use CAV mode on CAVWAYS and human drivers off of CAVWAYs, would be capable of efficiently navigating mixed routes.