An audience member discusses VTA’s project “Flex”, which is a cross between a ridesharing service and “dial-a-ride”, that is struggling to take off. He says there needs to be a solution for aging people who will increasingly find themselves captive in the suburbs (see Don Weden’s presentation for a good explanation of this issue), as they are no longer able to drive without a good public transit option.
Southern Illinois University Assistant Professor of Architecture Shannon McDonald suggests that private enterprise (e.g. an Uber) will come to the rescue with private solutions. Alain Kornhauser suggests economics favor the shared ride service in the long-term due to the low utilization of existing vehicles (vehicles sit on average 96% of the time).