Sunday, June 19, 2011

Car2Go and Cap Metro

There are many times that I see what should be or can be, but my visions always seem to be before their time.  I see a world with Public Transportation throughout every city and that connects every city, even rural areas.  Renewable energy sources power the public transportation vehicles, and they might even allow for small electric cars to easily board inter-city monorails, much like a ferry, so people could take their cars with them, but not have to drive.

My vision of improved public transportation is becoming reality, slowly, but there has to be a change in public perception about the benefits and rewards.  There are many rewards, just look at some of the great public transit systems in New York, Washington DC, and even in Dallas.  Less traffic, less reliance upon fossil fuels, more time to for yourself as you travel, and it's a great way to meet people or even people watch.

Not owning a vehicle anymore has presented some challenges, but thankfully here in Austin we have Car2Go and Capital Metro, not to mention many car rental companies with electric or hybrid car rentals.  Car2Go's website provides car locations of their now 300 cars and you can reserve one online or through an app on your phone.  The price is great when you only need a car every now and then.

Using the buses on Cap Metro, or even enjoying the light rail, allows me to keep in touch with every day people.  It saves me money, a lot of money, as a monthly bus pass is only $30, and I can usually get around town easily.  There are areas for improvement and expansion, and hopefully our light rail initiative will be approved by the Austin City Council.

I'm still surprised at how far behind Austin is with public transportation, but this is our Texas Capital and we should have the best public transportation in the state.  Hopefully, we will have a great public transit system here that rivals those of other metropolitan areas, but for now, I enjoy riding Cap Metro and using Car2Go.

Thought for now:  What are you doing to improve public transportation in your area?

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