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You’re still babying a car.
What if you could, like, delegate the entire driving process to someone? It sounds outlandish to pay for a driver, so what if you and a lot of others got together to take one vehicle. Perhaps some specialised vehicle where, through an economy of scale, it makes sense for hundreds to be moved by one driver. And for this economy of scale, what if you get the vehicle to go to places that makes sense for many of you at once.
It would make no sense for such a vehicle to be one rigid vehicle, so what if you instead make a chain of vehicles? Guidance of… let’s just call it an articulated hypercar… would be challenging, so what if you build a road for it, where you could build the guidance into it. Since the path is now very predictable, you could even optimise the interface between your vehicle and the path for rolling resistance and speed, and build an electricity supply directly in your hyperway.
I just invented a train, didn’t I?
Not at all. I almost always have a couple beers when I take the train.
Do you one better: Not only did I not have to monitor traffic, I fall asleep regularly on the train and some of the nicer busses in my city.
Well not technically fully fell asleep, more lkle went into that half asleep state where you’re still conscious enough to usually not miss your stop. Still somehow end up feeling somewhat rested afterwards so I’ll take it.
Or even a plane. Let someone else monitor the autopilot for you.
yeah we’re only getting more highways here in Ontario no trains
Maybe new Toronto mayor will fix it? Or move to Vancouver I guess…
I’ll miss my 50k + 0.5k a month of various insurance/fees/repairs so much
Hands down the best mode of transport to lose money
Imagine if trains were nice in the US. Riding Amtrack feels like riding in a 20 year old Pepsi can
Even in a place like Warsaw, Poland the trains are better even though it was completely leveled during World War 2, then under an Communist government that proceeded to nuke the economy for the next 60 years, and still has better trains.
Trains are generally a lot cheaper then the price of fuel for a car, nice and comfortable, and actually on time.
@nothacking @_finger_ Same deal for your cousins over the border in Lithuania.
Here’s some extra details, so our American friends can compare the train services in a less wealthy EU country to Amtrak. (Keep in mind this is nowhere near the level of service you’ll find in countries such as France or Germany.)
You can get a second class ticket on a modern LTGLink train from Vilnius to Kaunas for just €8. That gets you:
“Electrical outlets near some seats, space for bicycles, [on-board toilets], animal-friendly area, air conditioning, non-smoking area. Possibility to buy soft drinks and snacks on Kaunas and Klaipeda routes. When buying a ticket on the Klaipeda route, it is possible to choose a place and seating direction.”
Or in first class (just €11.10 for Vilnius to Kaunas, roughly equivalent to US$12.17) you get this:
“Passengers have free coffee, soft drinks, and snacks. More spacious seating, wider tables, electrical sockets at the seats, fewer seats and passengers around, choice of seat and seat when buying a ticket, space for bicycles, [on-board toilets], air conditioning, silence area, luggage area, non-smoking area.”
Here’s the on-board menu: https://ltglink.lt/en/menu-on-vilnius-klaipeda-vilnius-route
Yes, you can order a hot or cold sandwich, a cappuccino, Belgian waffles, noodles, donuts, Oreos, chips, a Snickers bar, or whatever other snack you want. The train staff bring it to your seat.
The seats are comfortable, like a first-class plane seat but with more leg room. You can use free wi-fi, and charge your phone at your seat.
Services on the Vilnius–Kaunas line run roughly every hour from 4:55am to 9:25pm, and more frequently during peak times during the day.
There’s a train station at Vilnius airport. Just about every trolleybus and bus in Vilnius runs to the main train station, stopping just metres from the front door, and there’s also a coach terminal connecting to smaller towns and villages.
So you can catch a trolleybus from the national Parliament building, a coach from a small village, or a train from the airport, then easily transfer at the main train station to an intercity service to Kaunas or Klaipeda.
And I’d like to remind you that Lithuania’s train system is considered *bad* by European standards.
Damn. Getting food brought to you anywhere on the train sounds dope! I’m Swiss and even we don’t have that.
While yes I agree a bus or a train is a better option than having shit ton of self driving robo cars something about having your own space and being able to set the temperature to what you want and play your music on the speakers is nice for some people
Get this: if you spend less time in the car, you get more time to do that at time!
So you live at the combined bus/train station and work at another bus/train station with a direct link - that’s cool.
If you live an 8 hour drive away from your job I think that’s a bigger problem than focusing on the lack of last mile transportation in the US 😳
I genuinely do, actually.
I live quite near an intersection with bus stops, tram stops, AND underground metro train stops. (Sörnäinen, Helsinki)
My work is in (Pasila, Helsinki) which has literally an intercity train station, and also tram stops and bus stops.
Found the person that never left the suburban house they paid 2000000$ for in the middle of nowhere. With reasonable high density housing it is absolutely possible to live within walking distance of a bus or even subway stop.
Except when you get where you’re going you don’t have to take another bus or rely on somebody to shuttle you around. And have you ever been on a long haul greyhound? By all accounts it’s a pretty garbage experience.
