Comment by hunglee2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by hunglee2 | Hacker News Reader

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This is excellent, and I love that a mathematician has come up with an attempted solution for this! I have always thought there was a missing category of service between bus vs taxi and the 'minibus' might well be the solution.

The good news is there are also real world examples of how these services operate; in Hong Kong for example, they are ubiquitous and very often the most efficient mode of transport, especially in the rural north.

Here's how they work

- fixed route (not adaptive)

- open outcry system to disembark on that fixed route (i.e driver will continue to next stop unless you say so)

- terminal stops driver waits until capacity is full before driving. It's a 14 seater)

- fixed fees based on distance travel, honesty system when passenger boards

- minibus drivers are franchisees, not employees, and are commercially motivated. This last part is good / bad depending on whether you value safety vs speed ;-)

I love them - they really fill a niche!

Thank you for your warm words and detailed description of your experience. It seems to me that the problem with microbus rides in their current form is the low comfort level, and it's not nearly as convenient as having a personal car or a taxi. Initially, I was working on a task to take the convenience and comfort of a personal taxi as a base and come up with a way to efficiently transport multiple passengers at once.

safety is a bigger issue - in many places it seems these services are operated by the mafia, and passengers can get shook down. This is not a problem in HK i hasten to say, but when I publicly endorse these 'little buses' I get lectured by other people who have had different local experiences!

Your comment raises an important concern - safety and the distribution of spheres of interest. I must admit I hadn't considered these factors when writing the article. In my mind, I pictured a calm European city like Barcelona. I would be thrilled if the first city to implement this taxi-bus system was Barcelona, and I see Los Angeles, with its upcoming Olympics, as the second most promising.

Of course, the taxi-bus system will not solve the safety problem on its own, but I believe it won't be any less safe than any other form of public transport. Therefore, all other things being equal (as we mathematicians say), the taxi-bus system should be better.

there is probably a close correlation between price / safety. Minibuses seem often to be the least expensive option, so perhaps mostly used by those who have least money. I'm going to guess they don't attract vagrants in the same way a train or bus might do - perhaps something to do with the small size of the vehicle / inevitable proximity with other passengers and / or motivated gate keeping by the driver-manager

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