6 Ways Technology Is Changing How We Use Public Transport

Right now, modern transportation is experiencing significant changes because of transformative technologies in transportation. Even if people appear accustomed to fully-packed public transport, long international flights, and diesel trucks that travel too slowly, transportation now has developments that promise to change everything so much closer than what people may realize. Here are six technologies in travel that can have a long-term impact on this industry:

Next-Generation GPS Devices

Next-Generation GPS Devices

GPS devices are not new as they have been present for decades. The main difference in comparing earlier GPS devices to modern models is the improved functionality of more recent hardware. Before, GPS devices are minimal as they could only calculate the total mileage and give the estimated travel time to the final location. That was all GPS devices provided in the past.

However, nowadays, there is an improved versatility among GPS units as they don’t just fulfill the essential function of planning a trip. They can also make the needed adjustments on your chosen route, traffic conditions, or extreme weather.

Self-Driving Cars

Self-Driving Car

Right now, numerous companies have worked on the development of self-driving vehicles. As they undergo the early stages of testing and development, they have been present on different nations’ roads. Last March 2018, Uber had their tests suspended when one of their cars had a pedestrian hit and killed in Tempe, Arizona. Even if this is a significant setback in the progress of highly autonomous vehicles, developers have remained optimistic about this transportation technology’s future.

Gyroscopic Vehicles

Gyroscopic Vehicle

Even if flying vehicles may appear highly complicated for use by the mainstream anytime soon, there are now hovering vehicles that get propelled with monorails’ help. They get balanced by innovatively using next-gen gyroscopes. These can significantly solve the existing problems in public transportation anywhere in the world. Although these cars may appear like something that came from a TV show or sci-fi movie, they can become a reality much sooner than people are expecting. Also known as gyrocars, they have a size that is similar to trains or modern buses. According to initial conceptualizations, the vehicle can move along any city street and have its body raised through built-in stilts so it can navigate through traffic without the need to stop.

High-Speed Rail Networks

High-Speed Rail Network

All over the world, people are highly interested in high-speed rail networks. Japan was able to unveil the Shinkansen bullet train last 1964 officially. Since then, countries have hoped to have this included in their networks.

Even if the progress has been insufficient, some countries are still working on these plans. In the USA, officials have considered more than ten high-speed rail networks for their country.

Elon Musk originally conceived the Hyperloop, which is an underground rail that has speeds of a maximum of 240 mph in the initial tests. Developers are now hoping that the finished version will achieve three times that speed.

Smart Cars

Smart Car

A lot of people now own smart vehicles. The smart car’s exact definition may vary between individuals, dealers, and manufacturers. Generally, it describes a compact and fuel-efficient vehicle as it uses innovatively new technology that would allow life to become so much easier for passengers and drivers. Manufacturers are on a transition to hybrid or electric cars, which are smart vehicles of a new generation. However, they would have to overcome particular challenges like the distance between charges, the amount of space, and the number of passengers they can accommodate. Despite that, these vehicles are now commonly seen on any street or highway.

Technologies for Public Transportation

Technologies for Public Transportation

Public transportation may often get reserved for crowded residential areas and huge cities. These often have negative connotations as they usually get overstuffed with people. In specific locations, they can even become a hotbed for suspicious activity and crime. Because of the future technologies in transportation that people are now developing, the future of public transit can significantly improve. Areas like the surrounding neighborhoods of London’s Heathrow Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City are now using personal pods of transportation so that these issues will become mitigated.

Since the pod only has room for one passenger, it immediately minimizes the risk of personal injury and crime. Moreover, they are highly intuitive, allowing them to become a great example of how easy it can integrate new technologies in transportation in people’s daily lives.

On the Way to Innovation

Even if the future may not be apparent, it can start every kind of innovation and breakthrough. Even if American travelers may never get to ride a single-passenger pod to the nearby airport or experience a high-speed rail network that can match the speed of a Japanese bullet train, these developments, including their early prototypes and conceptualizations, can provide proof that people could eventually have a better means of travel in the future.

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