Taking the Short Trip Home
By Michael Codrington
Date
May 14, 2018
At a time where you can re-stock snacks and arrange laundry pick-ups at the press of a button, the on-demand economy is expediting nearly all areas of daily life. Within the transportation sector, this has led to foolish frustration as engineers have yet to figure out how to move people from point A to B at near instantaneous speed. Uber is hard at work trying to defeat the higher powers of geography through revolutionary UberAIR technology, carrying people across the city in rideshare planes. As this platform will not be available until at least 2023 (and who knows at what price point), there is still a major urge to help people get around as quickly as possible.
One of the places where mobility issues are particularly problematic is at the airport. These curbsides have become vehicle vendettas, instigating regulation issues over this contested space. Many airports have created special rideshare pick up areas as a solution, but this has lead to congested clumps of confused and angry travellers eager to get to their desired destination.
Many people still opt for taxi cabs as their preferred mode of airport transportation, avoiding this conflict all together but not without its own issues. Taxi stands often have long waits and demand that people wait outdoors in often less than lovely weather. The ability to pay for airport transportation, view one’s queue position and anticipated wait time (in real-time), all while awaiting transportation from a mobile device has thus become increasingly desirable.
Mobile apps incorporating including these features are currently available from the leading players, but the market is growing very quickly. As the use of these services increase, additional features and constantly being added to these applications such as the ability to review information regarding trip histories and schedule trips in advance.
With the future emergence of Toronto Pearson International Airport as a regional transit hub, transportation optimization will become more and more key. In order to further the ease of these systems, IBI Group has been working on a taxi dispatch system as a part of working towards a more synchronized mobility ecosystem. Acknowledging that taxi’s may not always be the fastest mode of transportation (poor weather conditions, traffic congestion, etc.), we are interested in contributing to a more inclusive transportation system, providing people with options that suit them best.
By train or by taxi, we understand the joy of arriving home after a long journey! To learn more about our other mobility solutions, check out our other Mobility+ services.
Photo by Cameron Stow on Unsplash
