A new research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) using a computer model has revealed that apps like Uber and Lyft can solve the traffic problems in New York. According to the results of the study, 3,000 of carpooling vehicles could take over the 14,000 cabs in the busy city.
The study states that the 3,000 vehicles from Uber and Lyft can accommodate 94 percent of the passengers in New York with just an average of 2.7 minutes of waiting time and 3.5 minutes of delay.
The researchers clarified that to make this possible, passengers must install the applications on their smart devices so that they can share information about their rides with others.
The lead researcher Daniela Rus said that carpooling is invading the city because of its affordability. She added that it is not just cost-efficient but also beneficial to the traffic. Heavy traffic in the country poses a big economic impact, with $121 billion revenue loss and 5.5 billion hours wasted time on the road. The researchers added that approximately 2.9 billion gallons of fuel are exhausted in aggregated roads while it also leads to pollution, higher emission of greenhouse gasses, and accident rates.
Rus claimed that "our ride pooling solution will reduce the number of vehicles needed to support the transportation demands of a city, but this does not mean that the driving jobs are going away."
"Another way to think about this is that the jobs are getting better: drivers will be able to make the same amount of money working shorter shifts while the customers will get the same level of service, cities will have fewer cars on roads, the commute experience will be better for everyone in the city, and the air is cleaner," she explained.
Promoting ridesharing apps, however, will affect traditional taxi services. The researchers said that their ridesharing system could be adopted by other cities or businesses.