Optimizing The Last Mile

Trains are connected to everything. Moreover, each type of transportation — trains, busses, subways, rideshares and even boats — are all interconnected. Interconnectivity does not always mean synchronization.   It’s in timing and location gaps where we see transportation system‘s efficiency fall short. Technology is the bridge that will close those gaps and optimize the last mile.  

Of these major types of transportation, trains and busses are particularly interconnected. Trains typically bring commuters long distances, while busses serve both local passengers, as well as the aforementioned commuters, taking them on the “last mile” to their destination. For the commuter, connectivity without synchronization creates major problems for this last part of the journey. Long wait times or inconvenient walks between stations and stops means that these passengers often turn to other modes of transportation for that last mile. Some commuters turn to biking, or more recently, scootering for the completion of the last mile.  More often than not, rideshare services are being called upon. 

While ridesharing has certainly provided customers with a quick and easy transportation solution, it has also created problems for the transportation ecosystem at large. Traffic congestion within cities has increased due to adjustments that accommodate the on-demand, stop-and-go nature of the new technology. While some commuters use rideshares as a bridge between other forms of public transportation, many more use it as a substitute.  This means fewer people on trains, subways and busses and more on the road. This, while convenient for some commuters, is bad news for traffic congestion and transit times. Additionally, this results in more CO2 emissions (aka greenhouse gas emissions), per mile, per person. 

We can’t undercut the level of customer service and simplicity that rideshares have brought into the transportation system. It’s the responsibility of leaders in the public transportation industry to understand how we can fill in the gaps and integrate rideshare within the system as a whole. Doing this will drive down transportation’s carbon footprint and build a holistic passenger experience that is easily accessible both with rideshare, and with public transportation alone. Optimizing the last mile is not about pushing out new means for travel , rather enhancing travel with technology.  It is about developing a learning, adaptive transportation network that learns and advances to become safer, more reliable, and more efficient at every turn.