The costs associated with car travel are continuing to rise as is the time the average commuter spends travelling. No matter how expensive and time consuming personal car ownership is we don’t seem to be able to break the habit. The number of miles travelled in a car by a single driver with no passengers steadily increases every year. This is an extremely inefficient use of both the fuel used to power the car as well as the road infrastructure the car uses. Reducing these single occupancy car journeys is a key target of most transport policies.
Trains, trams, metro’s and bus routes are safe, efficient and environmentally sound which the public is happy to use. But studies have shown that as soon as a journey begins or ends outside the core service area of the public transport system; people quickly opt to use a car and they usually do so alone. This what people mean when they talk about the First:Last mile concept – it is the small trips that get people to or from their home /office and a public transport hub.
Replacing these solo First:Last mile journeys with a more efficient and environmentally friendly form of transport will be an essential job for any effective city wide transport system. The idea is fairly simple: instead of trekking the last mile from your bus stop or train station to your destination; use a public vehicle instead. Drive it where you like, then return it to your closest docking station, ready for the next person.
Cities all over the world are searching for and trailing solutions. Boris’s bikes in London have been successful but they only serve small portion of the population – those who are physically fit, don’t need to carry anything and don’t mind getting rained on.
Toyota have designed a three wheeled teeny tiny city car, the I-Road, that is powered by electricity specifically targeted at First:Last mile journeys. It combines the benefits of a micro car (small, light, two-seater, weather proof) with those of a scooter (narrow, manoeuvrable and fun to drive). Critically the I-Road has an advanced system which automatically tilts the vehicle to maintain stability round corners and on uneven surfaces. This means the I-Road can be as narrow as a motorbike without the driver having to use their body weight to tilt or have to stick their leg out to support the vehicle when stopped at lights. As a result the I-Road does not require any special driving experience or physical fitness to be operated which are core requirements for a universal transport system.
Toyota is running two trials which use this car in real cities to gauge how successfully they can be integrated with public and private transport. The first of these schemes is in the company’s home town in Japan, the second is in the French town of Grenoble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRh0FqX6KkA
In Grenoble; Toyota have a supplied a fleet of I-Road cars. The city has provided space for charging points which EDF Energy has supplied. The general public can download a Smartphone app which will locate the nearest charged I-Road. Take one, complete your journey and then return it to any charging point. There is also a booking service. The app is integrated with all other transport systems in the city so you can use it to plan your journey by road and link up with the train or bus!
