This is a good article, and I have become persuaded that the future of public transit in the United States is probably going to be very Uber-like (if not actually operated by Uber, as these pilot projects are). And I think a lot of other places will follow suit, because trains are great where and when there are large volumes of people, but on-demand cars or small buses are much cheaper to operate in places and times where demand is more spread out.

The article brings up a serious shortcoming with the Uber approach, however, and that's access for people lacking the technological means to hail an Uber or with physical disabilities that make traveling in a regular passenger car difficult. The smartphone issue can be addressed in a pretty low-tech way: a phone number that someone can call and an operator can arrange for the pickup. As for folks with disabilities, I'm afraid that the best solution would be to have at least one van or small bus with a wheelchair lift that can be dispatched.

I think that the future of municipal mass transit will probably include traditional buses in most places, that don't follow a set route but instead pick up and drop people off as necessary, supplemented by cars with private drivers that provide extra capacity in peak times and possibly provide 24 hour service.