Transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar are growing quickly. A recent article examines the potential of such networks to build new efficiencies into urban transportation, as well as some of the risks to that potential.
Writing from Los Angeles, Juan Matute takes an optimistic approach to the growth of transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
“I still believe the primary benefit of these new companies is that they can be a scalable platform for rideshare. The greatest promise of each of these services is to bring large numbers of drivers and passengers together on a single platform, which then makes passenger matching and shared rides that are ancillary to a driver’s intended trip more likely,” writes Matute.
Matute also mentions some of the unresolved questions around liability as well as the systems' ongoing need to better anticipate and respond to shifts in the supply and demand. “Anecdotal evidence suggests the supply of Uber and Lyft drivers has outpaced demand in Los Angeles in recent weeks,” says Matute.
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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