[LINK] Standards, please! The third coming of electric vehicles

[Tom Worthington]

On 23/04/12 10:31, Karl Auer wrote:

> ... wherever there is a tram stop in Zurich, there WILL be a tram
> coming past inside ten minutes...

Yes, this timetable-less system is generally known as a "metro". An
Australian example is the Sydney Metrobus, which runs every 10 minutes
in peak times: 
http://blog.tomw.net.au/2008/10/big-red-metrobus-in-sydney.html

Where trams or buses are used the system can be used in a much lower
population density than a heavier "metro" railway. However, to be
viable it still requires a population living in higher density housing
than an Australian suburb of detached houses. A typical suburb will only 
have enough passengers for a bus every hour, or more, at off peak times. 
In contrast, due to the population density, the Istanbul Metrobüs has 
some routes with a bus every 20 seconds: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_%28Istanbul%29

One solution could be a "Postbus" for Australian suburbs. This is a 
combined passenger and mail delivery service, used in rural areas, where 
the population density is too low for a regular bus service: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postbus

The suburban postbus could be based at transport interchanges to service
the surrounding suburbs off-peak. Passengers and parcels would arrive at 
the interchange on the same buses, trams or trains. The system would be 
able to transport items as large as a dishwasher (and pallets of goods 
for shops), but would most commonly be used for delivery of groceries 
and small packages ordered online.

As the postbus would cover only a small area and have a permanent depot,
it could be fuelled by renewable energy, either using batteries or
compressed methane. Postbusses can be as large as a regular suburban
bus, but something like a wheelchair accessible taxi, based on a
small van, would be more suitable. This could replace most off peak 
buses, taxis and some private cars, as well as many truck and courier 
deliveries. The service would be booked by phone or via the Internet, 
with the customer able to negotiate time and price. The service would 
cost as little as a regular bus, or as much as a taxi, depending on how 
long the customer was prepared to wait. If the customer travelled in a 
booked group, the service would be cheaper than a regular bus.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
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Adjunct Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/