I wonder what the logistics and costs look like having to maintain a fleet of single-seaters along with multi-seater vehicles. I realize a high percentage of rides are solo rides, but there's still like 20-30% of rides with >1 passenger. Is it really easier for the transit companies to manage multiple fleets of vehicles with various seating sizes? Is it actually a better experience for riders?
> An automated cargo monorail operating down the middle of every highway?
There's already cargo freight rail practically all across the country. Loads on trucks are on trucks because of the desired flexibility and point to point response time as opposed to having to load/unload rail.
Also, unless you're talking some really long distances, having rail in the middle of a highway doesn't always make much sense. You're not going to have the depots or stations in the middle of the highway after all. The train then needs to weave back and fourth across the highway to get to the places its routed to. Far better to just figure out its own right of way rather than stick it in the middle of a complicated place.
> An automated cargo monorail operating down the middle of every highway?
There's already cargo freight rail practically all across the country. Loads on trucks are on trucks because of the desired flexibility and point to point response time as opposed to having to load/unload rail.
Also, unless you're talking some really long distances, having rail in the middle of a highway doesn't always make much sense. You're not going to have the depots or stations in the middle of the highway after all. The train then needs to weave back and fourth across the highway to get to the places its routed to. Far better to just figure out its own right of way rather than stick it in the middle of a complicated place.