Terry Blanton writes, > A company which provides vans to commuters who share in the driving and fuel > has used 3G routers and WIFI on the bus to provide internet access to laptops > of those who are not driving that day. The individual cost is about $40 per > week for a full van.
That is a fabulous idea- the airport shuttle on steroids, so to speak, but turned into the shared commute vehicle of choice. Especially since these big vans can now be had (probably) at a deep discount nowadays. Maybe this concept should go into the new energy plan - as a major way to increase sales for Detroit - yet without retooling - and using the big engines they already have available - but at the same time, economize by putting 4 or more commuters in the same vehicle where they can actually earn "billable hours" (if the are attorneys for instance). Win-Win. 4 riders at 12 mpg is actually better in many ways that 4 Priuses (Prii ?) carrying a lone commuter. It would be an even better idea if the van could be leased to other (responsible) parties during work hours as in the some of the other programs, and there was some kind of intelligent computer able to provide flexibility to those who had to veer from a schedule. Win-win-win. Are there any startup companies doing this in a big way already? Jones
